Pagunsan threatens with 66 anew, Quiban moves in

MANILA, Philippines — Juvic Pagunsan stayed hot and fired a second straight 66, but so did the frontrunners although the Filipino ace gained a stroke to move within three shots of Tomoharu Otsuki and two others after 54 holes of the Panasonic Open in Kyogo, Japan Saturday.

Four backside birdies complemented Pagunsan’s frontside 34 that featured three birdies against a bogey on the par-5 No. 5, giving the former Asian Tour No. 1 a 13-under 203 aggregate at the Ono Toyo Golf Club for solo 10th.

But the smooth-swinging Pagunsan’s bid to nail a second championship in the Japan Golf Tour following his breakthrough win in the Mizuno Open last year remained a daunting task as Otsuki and Miyamoto shot 66 and 67, respectively, for 200s later matched by a hot-charging Taiga Semikawa.

Five shots behind Otsuki halfway through the 72-hole championship, Semikawa rattled off back-to-back birdies to launch his backside bid, eagled the par-5 15th then gained another stroke on the 17th. He never let up and birdied three of the first five holes at the front, then closed out with three straight birdies for a record 11-under 61 to force a three-way tie.

But Pagunsan hopes to sustain his remarkable comeback from a so-so 71 Thursday, capping it with a pair of back-to-back birdies from Nos. 10 and 14.

He actually set the tone for his second 66 with birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 then recovered from a missed-green mishap on No. 5 with another birdie on the seventh for a second straight 26-putt performance.

Over in the Asian Tour, Justin Quiban holed out with a birdie to card a 69 after a second round 66 as he continued to gain in the rankings, moving to joint 11th from a share of 21st with 18 holes left in the Yeangder TPC in Taiwan, also Saturday.

Quiban birdied three of the first eight holes and snapped a bogey on No. 9 and a run of pars with a closing birdie for a 34-35 round despite hitting just 11 fairways for a 208 total.

But he lay five strokes off Aussie Travis Smyth, who took charge at 203 with a 66, one shot ahead of Lee Chieh Po of Taiwan and Chapchai Nirat of Thailand, who assembled 204s after a 69 and 71, respectively.

But Miguel Tabuena lost his touch after a second round 69, limping with a 76 marred by four bogeys and a double bogey against two birdies and tumbling to a share of 62nd from joint 37th with 217.

Angelo Que, who salvaged a spot into the weekend play after staying below the cutoff line late Friday with a 144, failed to cash in on the break as he matched Tabuena’s four-over card to fall to a share of 75th at 220.