Tabuena fires 67, trails by 1 in Taipei

TAIPEI—Rookie Miguel Tabuena shot his strongest opening round of 5-under-par 67 on the Asian Tour to tie for second at the start of the $600,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters Thursday.

The 17-year-old Filipino and Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat trailed by one stroke local hero Lu Wei-chih, who put his home course knowledge to good use by firing a 66 at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club.

Tabuena birdied the first hole, hit the turn at 3-under and picked up two more strokes on the back nine as he outshone his eminent compatriots Juvic Pagunsan and Angelo Que.

Pagunsan, Que and Antonio Lascuña could only match par 72. Former Philippine Open champion Elmer Salvador carded a 73, Mars Pucay struggled with a 75 and Artemio Murakami fared even worse with a 77.

“Finally, I’m playing some golf,” said Tabuena. “I played well in the first two Asian Tour events, then I missed five cuts in a row. I reworked on my game after that.”

The 2010 Asian Games silver medalist earned his Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School earlier this year as an amateur and joined the play-for-pay ranks in February, where he has made three cuts in 10 attempts.

“My confidence is soaring after my round,” said Tabuena. “I’m hitting shots that I want and I’m confident with my putter again.”

He hit only 10 greens but used his putter just 23 times.

Zaw Moe of Myanmar, Thaworn Wiratchant, rising star Panuphol Pittayarat, Japanese Daisuke Kataoka and Park Il-hwan of Korea were a further two shots back at 69.

Lu, who lives near the Taiwan Golf and Country Club, shot four birdies in his closing six holes.