Miguel Tabuena falters, barely makes cut

MANILA, Philippines — Miguel Tabuena turned from superb to horrific after a switch in tee-times, fumbling with a six-over 78 and tumbling from joint lead to joint 50th and barely made the cut in the World Super 6 Perth now paced by Canadian James Allenby and three others in Australia yesterday.

A day after stealing the show with an impressive 65 in early start anchored on a seven-birdie blitz at the backside of the Lake Karrinyup Country Club, Tabuena floundered in tough conditions in afternoon play, bogeying four of the first six holes and dropping three more strokes at the back against a lone birdie on the par-5 11th.

With a 40-38 card and a 143, Tabuena tumbled to 50th with 15 others to make the Top 65-plus-ties cut. But the Filipino shotmaker will have a lot of recovering to do in today’s crucial third round where only the top 24 players will advance to the six-hole knockout match play phase set tomorrow. Ties will be decided through playoffs.

Tabuena groped for form early on, bogeying the second hole and after parring the par-5 No. 3, he dropped strokes on the next three for a birdie-less 40. He birdied No. 11 but bogeyed three of the last four holes in a virtual reverse of his sterling start Thursday. 

Meanwhile, Allenby strung up six birdies in a seven-hole stretch and finished with a 66 to join Aussies Ryan Fox and Matthew Griffin and Thai Panuphol Pittayarat at 136 halfway through the $1.15 million tournament.