Quiban cruises, delos Santos salvages spot in Top 70

MANILA, Philippines – Justin Quiban, needing to come out strong to stay in the hunt for an Asian Tour card, did just that Saturday, battling back with a three-under 68 to gain a tied 21st placing after four rounds of the Asian Tour Final Qualifying Stage in Hua Hin, Thailand.

But for the two Filipinos, who survived the second cut and stayed in the race for a coveted spot in the richest edition of the region’s premier circuit, the real battle begins Sunday — an 18-hole final grind for the Top 35 berths among the 70 survivors.

Quiban, who dropped to joint 52nd with a shaky third round 72 at the par-73 Lake View Resort and Golf Club course, spiked his big rebound with a pitch-in birdie on the par-4 No. 3 on his way home then added two more birdies on Nos. 4 and 8 against a bogey on the fifth for a 33-35 round.

With a 72-hole total of seven-under 277, Quiban, a two-time winner on the Philippine Golf Tour who made it to the PGA Tour but missed the cut at 3M Open in 2021, easily made the Top 70 cut at 21st and will have the momentum and confidence needed in the final 18-hole skirmish tipped to be wild and tight.

Also keeping his slim hopes alive is Justin delos Santos, who rattled off three backside birdies and added another on Nos. 5 and 7 as he bucked a late-hole mishap on No. 8 to fire a 67 that proved enough to earn him a share of 69th with eight others at 281.

Jhonnel Ababa, however, fell by the wayside as he fared miserably in his own backdoor bid, limping with a 74 and finishing at tied 127th with 287.

Aussies Jack Thompson and John Lyras, meanwhile, shared the lead at 267 after a 64 and 66, respectively, virtually clinching their cards barring any major disaster in the last 18 holes.

They dislodged erstwhile leader Wocheng Ye, who fumbled with a 72 after a run of under-par cards (64-65-67) but the Chinese remained within target at third at 268, along with compatriot Zhengkai Bai, who shot a 66 for joint fourth at 270 with Mingyu Cho of Korea, who matched 71.

The top 35 after the fifth round will earn playing rights for this year's Asian Tour, which will kick off its new season with the $5 million Saudi International on February 2-5.