MALAYSIAN ace Arie Irawan breezed past Micah Shin and Miguel Tabuena with a four-under-par-67 yesterday and stormed to a three-shot lead going into the final round of the $60,000 ICTSI Eagle Ridge Invitational at the golf complex’s Aoki layout.
The big-hitting Irawan gunned down seven birdies against a double bogey on No. 16 and a bogey on the ninth for a 54-hole total of 209, moving him on the verge of another Asean Development Tour title with a 209 aggregate.
Tabuena and Shin, who started the day tied for the lead, carved out 72s and fell into a tie for second at 212 with the American Brett Munson who shot a 70.
Singapore’s Choo Tse Hwang fired a 66 and also wheeled into contention, just four shots behind the 24-year-old Irawan, the Sime Darby winner in Malaysia last January.
First-round leader Ferdie Aunzo skied to a 76 and kissed his title hopes goodbye at 217, a stroke ahead of Antonio Lascuña, Jun Bernis and Elmer Salvador who turned in a 70, 66 and 67, respectively.
Lascuña, the two-time reigning Order of Merit champion on the local tour, continued to improve each day, but will likely look back to an opening 74 as the round that slowed him down.
Angelo Que, another local top gun, ballooned to a 78 after a second-round 68 on Thursday for 223, with Jay Bayron another stroke back after a 76.
Irawan got his round going with birdies on Nos. 2, 5 and 6. Musong R. Castillo