LIPA CITY—Using a new putter and a new putting stance, Antonio Lascuña yesterday fired a second round 5-under-par 67 to zoom to a four-shot lead over two foreigners in the ICTSI Mount Malarayat Classic at the Lobo and Malipunyo nines here.
Lascuña, who tied Dutchman Guido Van Der Valk for the lead by completing his first round in the morning with a 64, posted a 36-hole 131 aggregate after gunning down a slew of birdies before noon.
Van Der Valk assembled a 71 and fell into a tie for second at 135 with Indonesian amateur William Sjaichuddin after the US NCAA Division II player carded a flawless 66 in calm, ideal conditions in the morning.
The other fancied Filipinos in the field couldn’t keep up with Lascuña and the determined foreign challenge as nine overseas players completed the Top 10 including baby-faced Japanese Yuki Usami, who assembled a day-best 65 to trail by five shots like four others.
“I put my left foot forward to address the yips that I have for quite a while now,” said the 44-year-old Lascuña, who has been putting with his left foot slightly forward using a two-ball putter for just the third day since Tuesday’s Pro-Am, in Filipino.
“I tried it out in the pro-am and it worked. I’m going to stick to it,” he added.
Lascuña started out on the 10th and finished his front nine with a 37 after a bogey on the par-5 14th. But the Davao native caught fire coming home, gunning down birdies from 1 to 3 and then finishing birdie-birdie-birdie.
“I just hope that I can putt the same way I did (in the final two rounds),” he added.
Australian Darren Tan fired a 68, Thailand’s Sattaya Suppupramaim had a 67 like Japan’s Masaki Sakata and the United States Greg Moss churned out a 69 to tie Usami, who was bogey-free in a 32-33 effort.
Aussie David Lutterus and Malaysian ace Nicholas Fung were at 137 after identical 70s. Former Philippine Open champion Cassius Casas led a four-man group at 139 after a 68.
Anthony Fernando was the best-placed Filipino despite struggling to a second round 73 that left him seven strokes off the pace.
Angelo Que, who was second to Aboitiz champion Elmer Salvador in Cebu last week, assembled a 73 for 140.
The legendary Frankie Miñoza, playing 21 holes with just three hours of sleep because of jetlag, carded a second round 69 and was at 141 with Salvador, also with a 69.
Fresh from seeing action in the Senior British Open, Miñoza completed his first round with a 72 like Salvador.