Que stumbles with 71, falls 6 shots off in International Series Korea

MANILA, Philippines – Angelo Que rebounded from a double bogey miscue on No. 14 with a cluster of birdies but stumbled in a wobbly frontside finish and ended up with an even par 71, tumbling to a share of 15th halfway through the International Series Korea in Jeju Island Friday.

As Bio Kim and Taehoon Ok took command with fiery 63 and 64, respectively, at the tough Lotte Skyhill Country Club course anchored on a five-birdie blitz in the last nine holes at the front, Que blew a two-under card with bogeys on Nos. 3 and 5 as the Filipino ace dropped from joint seventh with a 67 to outside of the Top 10 with a 138.

That was six strokes behind Kim and Ok’s 132s as the former gained ground from a share of 25th with four birdies in the first seven holes at the back. He reeled back with a bogey on the par-5 18th but shot five birdies at the front to complete a 30-33 round and tie Ok, who gunned down eight birdies against a bogey, for a pair of 32s, at the helm.

They stood two strokes ahead of compatriot Hanbyeol Kim, who pooled a 134 after a 66.

Miguel Tabuena, meanwhile, bucked a triple-bogey mishap on No. 6 with a birdie on the next as he saved a 72 and barely made it to the weekend play at 142 for a share of 65th with 10 others.

After an opening 70, the ICTSI-backed Tabuena went four-under overall with birdies on Nos. 11 and 14 but dropped two strokes on the par-4 16th and mixed a bogey with a birdie to close out his backside start.

He birdied the second but yielded three shots on the six on a couple of errant shots then birdied the seventh to salvage a pair of 36s.

Over in Japan, Juvic Pagunsan fumbled with a 74 and likewise barely made the cut in the Shigeo Nagashima Invitational at 144, now nine strokes behind halfway leader Takumi Kanaya, who shot a 69 for a 135 and a one-stroke lead over Hiroshi Iwata, who put in a second straight 68 for a 136 at the North Country Golf Club course in Hokkaido, also yesterday.

Pagunsan, the best Filipino finisher at joint 22nd in International Series Singapore last week, failed to recover from a two-bogey miscue after four holes as he hit just one birdie at the back on No. 10 which he eventually yielded with another mishap on the 17th.