Magada sizzles with 65, wrests 3-shot lead

Veteran Benjie Magada fired a flawless 7-under-par 65 yesterday to take a three-shot lead over former Philippine Open champions Angelo Que and Elmer Salvador after 36 holes of the ICTSI Splendido Classic in Tagaytay.

Magada started hot with birdies on three of his first four holes and went on to hit all but one green as he booked his finest tournament start since winning last at Orchard in 2010.

Counting an opening 70, the reedy Magada now has a 135 aggregate, three shots clear of three-time Asian Tour winner Que, who carded a 70, and Salvador, who carved out a 69.

Antonio Lascuña, who started the round down by just one, slowed down with a 71 to fall four shots adrift like Miguel Tabuena, who fired a 70, even as opening-round leader Rufino Bayron skied to a 76 for 143.

“It was one of those days when everything fell into place,” Magada said in Filipino. “My driving was good, my irons and my putting clicked.”

Dutchman Guido Van Der Valk and Korean Jung Yeong-hun fired a 71 and 70, respectively, and were tied with Jay Bayron (72), Richard Abaring (68) and Clyde Mondilla (69) at 141.

Jay Bayron, who came from nine shots down in the final round to win this tournament by a shot over younger brother Rufino, closed out bogey-bogey.

Magada rescued par on No. 5, the only green he missed, with a superb pitch that left him with an easy five-foot putt.

Que bounced back from a two-over effort on his first five holes by draining all five of his birdies on his last 13, keeping himself in the mix to snap a long title-less spell on the tour.