Late charge puts Que in the mix

MANILA, Philippines — Angelo Que came charging back with four birdies at the front, shooting a five-under 67 to match the solid starts of some of the fancied bets, including Swede Henrik Stenson, at the start of the Indonesian Masters jointly paced by John Catlin of the US and Korean Sungho Lee at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club in Jakarta yesterday.

Unable to really get going with a two-birdie, one-bogey stint at the back where he teed off, the power-hitting Que finally put it all together in the last seven holes, birdying all par-4s for a 32-35 card and a spot at third alongside Stenson, Aussies Josh Younger, Jarryd Felton and Maverick Antcliff and Thai Thitiphun Chuayprakong.

Stenson, a major winner at the British Open in 2016 who reached the world No. 2 ranking in 2014, likewise showed his world-class form, opening with two birdies at the back then birdying three of the last five holes for a 33-34.

He birdied the first hole but dropped a stroke on the par-3 No. 4 for his lone bogey.

Catlin actually upstaged Henson in one of the featured flights, stringing a pair of 33s to tie Lee, who spiked his 32-34 card with four straight birdies from No. 5, in the lead of the $750,000 event.

World No. 2 Justin Rose forced a three-way tie with an eagle-laced 31 at the front and a birdie on the 12th. But he bogeyed the next to drop to five-under with five holes to play.

But while Que, who scored a breakthrough on the Japan PGA Tour last September, put himself in early contention in the Asian Tour season-ending event, Miguel Tabuena settled for joint 46th in a starting field of 143 with a 71.

The recent winner of the Queen’s Cup actually turned in a decent round of 36-35 that included three birdies against two bogeys but found himself five strokes off the pace in the face of the leaders’ torrid scoring at the par-72 layout which virtually lay defenseless in the absence of the wind.

Tony Lascuña, meanwhile, blew a one-under card at the back with a frontside 39 marred by two bogeys and a double-bogey, needing to birdie the ninth to salvage a 74.

He was in danger of missing the cut.