ANTONIO Lascuña made a bold move yesterday and showed everyone who’s the boss, shooting a tournament-best five-under-par 67 to zoom ahead by a stroke over Elmer Salvador halfway through the P3.5 million ICTSI Tournament Players Championship.
With the dreaded Wack Wack East layout baring its fangs on a bedeviled field, Lascuña was at his best, gunning down six birdies in a nine-hole stretch from No. 3 after opening up with a bogey for a 36-hole 138 aggregate that kept the equally hard-charging Salvador in check.
“This is the last leg and I might as well take it,” Lascuña said in Filipino as he tries to complete a dominating season with a win and add to the four tournaments he ruled for what could be a fourth Order of Merit title in five years.
Salvador assembled a 69 to be just a shot behind, with Toru Nakajima also carving out a 69 to catch Micah Shin and first round leader Fredrick Park at 142.
Nakajima fired a 70, while the left-handed Park, after opening up with a 69 on Wednesday, skied to a 73.
Jessie Balasabas fired the day’s other 67—in a bogey-free effort—to vault into contention at 144 as the tree-lined layout, undoubtedly one of the toughest tests in the land, yielded just 10 sub-par scores.
Among those who stumbled were 2007 Philippine Open champion Frankie Miñoza, who had seven bogeys in an uncharacteristic 78, Clyde Mondilla, a three-leg winner this season, who carded a 75 and Ryan Lam, who had a 71 on Wednesday but couldn’t break 80 in the second round.
“I just had a good run from No. 3, able to put my approaches where I wanted them (on the greens),” Lascuña said.
Salvador had five birdies yesterday, totaling 12 for the first two rounds. But like in the first round, the former PH Open champion had multiple bogeys, with his two for the second round giving him a total of seven.