Delos Santos stays in Asiad medal hunt after 67; but Philippines slips to sixth

NAGOYA, Japan – Justin Delos Santos stayed firmly in the medal hunt after a three-under 67, highlighted by a clutch three-birdie surge midway through his round, to remain in ninth place after two rounds of the Asian Games men’s golf competition Thursday at the Kasugai Country Club’s East Course.

Delos Santos improved by one stroke from his opening-round 68 to reach 135, just four shots off the lead and well within striking distance of the bronze medal with 36 holes remaining in the 20th edition of the Continental Games.

China’s Wenji Ding shot a sizzling six-under 64, while Taiwan’s Wei Hsuan Wang carded a 66 to move into a share of the lead at 131. Japan’s Kazuki Higa and Keita Nakajima also climbed into joint third at 132 with rounds of 66 and 67, respectively.

Korea’s Tom Kim and Doyeob Mun were tied for fifth at 133 after rounds of 66 and 67, while India’s Saptak Talwar and China’s Yunhe Zheng shared seventh at 134 following identical 68s.

The crowded leaderboard kept Delos Santos within striking distance, with only three strokes separating the leaders from the seventh-place group.

The Filipino-American started his round with a birdie on No. 2 but gave the stroke back with a bogey on the next hole. He settled down from there, taking advantage of the course’s two par-5s on Nos. 8 and 13 and adding another birdie after a precise tee shot on the par-3 12th.

Delos Santos strung together three birdies over a six-hole stretch in the middle of his round and, despite missing a couple of additional opportunities, closed with a solid 34-33 for his 67.

The performance kept alive his bid for a medal in his first Asian Games appearance and could become increasingly significant over the final two rounds, given his familiarity with Japanese golf courses from his regular stints on the Japan Golf Tour.

While Delos Santos positioned himself for a potential medal push, teammates Miguel Tabuena and Carl Corpus were unable to make a significant move up the leaderboard.

Tabuena, a silver medalist as an amateur at the 2010 Asiad in China, posted another steady 70. But with the leaders producing rounds well under par, the LIV Golf League campaigner slipped to a share of 22nd at 140, nine shots behind the joint leaders.

Corpus also struggled to gain ground, although he halted his slide with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 16 and 17. He could only manage a 72, however, leaving him tied for 27th at 141.

The Philippines also lost ground in the team competition.

Delos Santos’ 67 and Tabuena’s 70 gave the Philippines a combined 137 for the second consecutive day, bringing its two-round total to 274 and dropping the team from fifth to sixth.

The Filipinos are now eight strokes behind Korea for the bronze-medal position, with the Koreans posting another 133 for 266.

Host Japan remained on top despite slowing to a 133 after opening with 131, bringing its total to 264. China moved within one stroke after a 132 for 265, while Korea stayed another stroke behind at 266.

With only two rounds of golf remaining, the race remains tightly bunched at the top, with Japan, China and Korea separated by just two strokes in the team standings.

For Delos Santos, meanwhile, the task is more immediate: another two steady rounds could put him squarely in the fight for an individual medal.