Lascuna fires 69 for 2-shot ICTSI lead

GEN. TRIAS, Cavite—Antonio Lascuna was on attack mode all day yesterday, shooting a three-under-par 69 at the Norman course to grab a two-stroke lead over Charles Hong at the halfway mark of the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Classic here.

Lascuna, the Order of Merit champion the last two years, had four birdies against a bogey for 140 over 36 holes counting his opening 71 at Faldo, while Hong shot a 70 also at the Norman layout to be at 142.

First round leaders Jay Bayron and Marvin Dumandan, who fired 69s at Norman, fired a 76 and 74, respectively, for 145 and 143 as action shifts to the easier Aoki layout for the final 36 holes.

“The absence of the winds made attacking the pins a bit easier today,” Lascuna said. “The pin placements today were friendlier, unlike in my first round (at Faldo) where the pins were in difficult places.”

Only four players were left under par with Carl Santos-Ocampo also standing at 143 after shooting a 70 at Norman to be tied with Dumandan, a veteran who has had his struggles of late.

The Canadian Rick Gibson, the Philippine Open champion in 1996, fired a 71 also at Norman to be at level 144 like Elmer Salvador and Dante Becierra. Salvador, who won his Philippine Open 13 years after Gibson, fired a 73 at Faldo, while Becierra, who opened with a 70 on Tuesday, fired a 74 at Norman.

Frankie Miñoza scored another 73, but at Norman this time, to be at 146 and within striking distance, with Jonel Ababa and Paul Echavez, products of the National Caddies Open program, tying at 147 after a 73 and 74 at Norman and Faldo, respectively.

The winner of this event takes home a cool P550,000 out of the total kitty of P3 million put up by the sponsoring International Container Terminal Services Inc.