Ramos clings to Top 10 holes after shaky finish

MANILA, Philippines -- Sean Ramos stumbled late but birdied the final hole to salvage a three-under 70 and keep his Top 10 bid alive in the International Series Morocco in North Africa late Saturday.

The gutsy Filipino shotmaker actually surged into the Top 10 with an eagle on the par-5 12th and a birdie on the par-3 No. 14, reaching six-under overall. But a costly miscue on the par-4 16th, where he missed both the fairway and the green and two-putted for a double bogey, pulled him back.

Still, he finished strong, two-putting for birdie on the closing par-5 to complete a pair of 35s at the par-73 Royal Golf Dar Es Salam and a 54-hole total of 214.

Ramos dropped to joint 12th alongside five others, including American John Catlin, who also carded a 70. They trailed Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent by six shots after the latter kept his lead with a bogey-free 71 for a 208 aggregate.

Vincent remained ahead of Thailand’s Settee Prakongvech, who rallied with a 67 for a 209, while China’s Bobby Bai turned in a six-under card to sit solo third at 210.

With four players tied at 211 and two more at 212, the race for the $360,000 top purse from the $2-million pot remains wide open.

Though six strokes adrift, Ramos, a one-time winner on the Philippine Golf Tour, remains in contention for a Top 10 finish, provided he sharpens his long game and irons while sustaining his excellent putting touch. He missed five fairways and six greens but recovered with just 28 putts, including three that saved par.

Meanwhile, Justin Quiban cooled off with a 71 after a blistering 68 on Friday. The multi-titled Philippine Golf Tour standout rebounded from a two-over start after seven holes with three birdies over the next five and another on No. 17. He parred the last for a four-under 215 and a share of 18th.

Miguel Tabuena, however, struggled again. After three bogeys in his first seven holes and a double on the par-3 ninth, he only briefly recovered with an eagle on No. 12 before settling for a 76, dropping to joint 62nd at two-over 221.

Up front, Vincent stayed steady despite a cold putter. The 33-year-old Denver, Colorado native managed one of only two bogey-free rounds of the day, capped by a clutch birdie on the par-4 17th, where he chipped to two feet.

“It was great, a little challenging for me out there. I didn’t feel like I drove it particularly well, which just made it a little harder,” said Vincent, whose last international win came in the 2022 International Series England. “All in all, it was nice, solid and steady – and always nice to play bogey-free.”

In contrast, Prakongvech lit up the course with eight birdies, draining several long putts in a round that also included two bogeys. He saved pars with clutch putts late but missed an eight-footer for bogey on the 18th – his lone putting lapse.