Aussie Both seizes PH Open lead by 2

MANILA, Philippines — Marcus Both of Australia holed out from the left greenside bunker for birdie on the 18th to cap a 6-under-par 66 Friday and grab a two-stroke lead after 36 holes of the $300,000 ICTSI Philippine Open.

The 35-year-old from Melbourne polished off the tournament’s first flawless round with a backside 31 for a 136 total as Chan Kim, the American-Korean who shared the opening day lead with Siddikur of Bangladesh, finished bogey-bogey for a 72 and fell to second place.

Siddikur, who opened up with a 66 like Kim, had some misadventures over the sleek greens of Wack Wack East and signed for a 73 to trail by three in the Asian Tour event presented by the MVP Sports Foundation and PLDT.

“It is a round of golf which you hope to play (every time),” Both, a two-time winner on Tour, said. “I didn’t get into trouble all day and kept the ball in play. When I did miss some greens, I got them all up-and-down.”

Kim, the 6-foot-1 Tour sophomore, was tied with Both going into the 17th only to miss the last two greens to settle for second spot going into the weekend of the 97th edition of Asia’s oldest national championship.

Siddikur, meanwhile, didn’t sound disappointed despite letting several chances slip by with an errant putting performance.

“I am not disappointed because we have two more days to go,” he said.

Amateur Rupert Zaragosa and the unheralded Miguel Ochoa carried the fight for the local bets after Rolando Marabe, the Villamor teaching pro who started the day just three shots off the pace, ballooned to an 80 to make the cut, pegged at 149, on the dot.

Zaragosa returned a second straight 71 and Ochoa, a second-year pro who played one year for Canlubang in the PAL Interclub, fired a 69  for 142 in a  tie with three foreigners.

Former two-time champion Frankie Miñoza, the ageless Filipino veteran, fired a 71 climb into a tie at 143 with Jay Bayron, the 2011 runner-up, who matched par. Tied with the two Filipinos were Panuphol Pittanyarat of Thailand, who fired a 69 and Mithun Perrera of Sri Lanka and Gunn Chaorenkul of Thailand who submitted a 72 and 70, respectively.

Mardan Mamat, the 2012 winner, will not be around for the weekend after shooting a second straight 75, joining another former champion in Cassius Casas, who missed the cut with rounds of  77 and 73.

Other Filipinos who wheeled into contention were Rico Depilo, another obscure teaching pro, who fired a 68 for 144. Miguel Tabuena (71) and Antonio Lascuña (70)  cracked par for 145, a stroke ahead of

Angelo Que, the 2008 champion, who fired a 75 and Jonel Ababa, who shot a 70.

The leading scores:

(Filipino unless stated)