Kim hangs on as Carlos charges back with 67

CAGAYAN de Oro, Philippines — Kim Joo Hyung checked a shaky finish with back-to-back birdies, matching Jobim Carlos’ fiery windup to cling to a one-stroke lead with a 69 and stay on course for a breakthrough in the ICTSI Pueblo De Oro Championship here yesterday.

Kim, 16, flashed steely nerves under pressure, rebounding from a missed green bogey on No. 16 with birdies on the last two to somehow cushion the impact of Carlos’ fiery windup, which spiked the latter’s bogey-free 67 on another day of torrid scoring at the Pueblo De Oro layout.

“I hit some great shots today (yesterday) and my putting strokes were better although I missed some birdie chances,” said Kim, whose 15-under 201 aggregate put the rising Korean star 18 holes away from becoming one of the youngest winners on tour at 16.

But Carlos, who assembled a 202, made sure to hound Kim in his first clear crack at the crown after the latter turned in a pair of joint sixth finishes in his first two pro tournaments at Apo and Del Monte.

Kim held Carlos at bay at the turn, staying three-up after matching the Filipino ace’s 34 start. But he bogeyed No. 11 and Carlos pulled within one with a birdie on the 12th although the Korean went 2-up again with his own birdie on No. 14 only to drop another stroke on No. 16 before the two players matched closing birdies to make it a one-stroke game.

“Playing against Kim was tough. He has vastly improved with his shotmaking since our amateur days,” said Carlos, also in the hunt for a second crown after scoring a come-from-behind win at Apo Invitational two weeks ago. “I have to bring my A-game to level with him. It should be fun in the last 18 holes.”

A horde of pursuers actually turned in fiery starts to make it a wide-open race but all faded out with mishaps at the backside, which surprisingly held its own after yielding a number of under-par cards in the first two rounds of the P3 million event sponsored by ICTSI.