MANILA, Philippines — With several players high up the leaderboard tumbling down on a wacky, windy day, Korean-American Chan Kim fought back with steely resolve to reclaim the ICTSI Philippine Open lead going into the final round despite a quadruple bogey on No. 8 at the beast that is Wack Wack East Saturday.
“I am very surprised to be in the lead,” said Kim, who rebounded from a seven on the par-3 eighth to shoot a one-over-par 73 and lead Filipino Jay Bayron, Australian Marcus Both and Korean Wang Jeung-hun by one with a 211 aggregate in the event presented by the MVP Sports Foundation and PLDT.
“I definitely did not think that 5-under overall would lead,” added Kim, who fired an opening 66 to share the lead with Siddikur of Bangladesh before yielding the lead to Both with a 72 on Friday. “I thought that I would be three (shots) back going into the final round.”
Both allowed a lot of players back in the hunt after dropping three shots in his last three holes to submit a 76 for 212, the same total now being held by Bayron, the 2011 runner-up who fired a 69, and the youthful Wang, who matched par.
Kim needed five shots to get on the eighth green, and said that he would definitely play that hole short today if he has the lead.
“After that 7, I just told myself to get some of the shots back (in the remaining holes),” Kim, who birdied 12, 13 and 15, said. “I was able to do that because I have played the back nine pretty well this week.”
“It was really tough out there, the wind was swirling and I didn’t hit the ball as well as I did yesterday where I kept myself out of trouble,” the 35-year-old Both said. “I didn’t have any makeable birdie putts and I scrambled around. It wasn’t pretty.”
Antonio Lascuña also put himself in the mix with a 69 for 214, the same score of Thailand’s Arnond Vongvanij, who shot a 68, and Australia’s Nathan Holman, who submitted a 72.
With the winds starting to blow from all directions when the leaders made their way into the back nine, a number of those who were closely trailing Both at the start of the day saw their aspirations go up in smoke.
Siddikur and the seasoned Chawalit Plaphol of Thailand were among them, with the Bangladeshi signing for a 76 to trail by four from being one back at the start of the round, and the Thai soaring to an 80 for 220.
Miguel Tabuena, the 19-year-old prodigy, stayed mathematically in the hunt at six shots back after matching par.
If ever, Tabuena will be looking back at an opening 75 which slowed him down this year.
Amateur Rupert Zaragosa stumbled with four of his five bogeys in the back nine and settled for a 75 to tie Tabuena, and Rico Depilo, a driving range pro, who fired a 73.
The leading scores: (Filipino unless stated) 211—C. Kim (USA) 66-72-73; 212—J. Bayron 71-72-69, Wang JH (KOR) 72-68-72, M. Both (AUS) 70-66-76; 214—A. Vongvanij (THA) 74-72-68, A. Lascuna 74-71-69, N. Holman (AUS) 71-71-72; 215—C. Nirat (THA) 79-67-69, Hsieh TS (TPE) 77-68-70, J. Todd (USA) 73-71-71, T. Wiratchant (THA) 74-74-67, Siddikur (BAN) 66-73-76; 216—D. Kataoka (JPN) 71-75-70, A. Rohana (SRI) 75-70-71, P. Marksaeng (THA) 70-75-71, J. Janewattanond (THA) 72-72-72, M. Perera (SRI) 71-72-73; 217—R. Yip (CAN) 72-73-72, M. Tabuena 75-70-72, R. Depilo 76-68-73, G. Charoenkul (THA) 73-70-74, G. Gandranata (INA) 72-76-69, L. Weber (FRA) 72-70-75, R. Zaragosa (Am) 71-71-75; 218—A. Que 71-75-72, R. Bayron 71-74-73, A. Chadha (IND) 75-72-71, M. Kawamura (JPN) 75-73-70, S. Prokangvech (THA) 70-74-74.