Ira Alido takes driver’s seat at Wack Wack

MANILA, Philippines — Ira Alido sneaked in front despite a shaky windup that had been the norm on a course as exacting as Wack Wack East, carding a one-over 73 to move ahead by two over erstwhile joint leader Tarik Can of the US and Thai Nirun Sae Ueng in a windy third round of the Aboitiz Invitational yesterday.

The former amateur hotshot actually looked headed to posting a third straight even par card and a bigger cushion on a big recovery from a bogey-bogey mishap from No. 2 with birdies on Nos. 10 and 14. But he came up short off the 18th green and failed to salvage par from six feet.

However, his 38-35 proved enough to shove him past a slew of rivals that kept scrambling for spots atop the leaderboard while trying to buck the buffeting wind that blew from all over, sending the scores soaring and the rest of the bidders tumbling.

“I targeted the front of the green (No. 18) but came up short. I had a chance to save par from six feet but didn’t make it though,“ said Alido, whose 217 put him closer to a dream title run in the Philippine Golf Tour Asia event organized by Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc.

When asked of his game plan in the last 18 holes, the 18-year-old sophomore pro said he would still opt for conservative play the way he did in the first three rounds and “try to limit the bogeys.” 

Can, who with Reymon Jaraula broke out of a nine-player tie and shared the lead with a pair of 71s Thursday, failed to minimize his mistakes and skied to a 76, his two 38s marred by three bogeys and two double bogeys, misfortunes that could easily ruin one’s title bid on a course that requires accuracy and patience more than power and aggressiveness.

But the bearded American shot three birdies, the last on the par-5 No. 13 that got him back into the thick of things at 219 in a tie with Sae Ueng (74).