Thailand grabs Putra Cup lead as RP golfers falter

THE PHILIPPINES sputtered on the second day of Putra Cup action Wednesday, blowing a six-shot lead to yield top spot to defending champion Thailand by a stroke at the demanding Royal Selangor Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.   Mark Fernando carded a one-over-par 73, Jessie Balasabas added a 75 and Miguel Tabuena scrambled for a 76 as the Filipinos tallied 224 for the day for a 438 aggregate like Singapore.   Poom Saksanin  carried the fight for the Thais with a brilliant 69 with Wasin Sripattranusorn and Supakorn Utaipat shooting a 75 and 73, respectively for Thailand’s 217 and 437 total.   Singapore, the 2008 champion, matched the Philippines’ opening round of 214 to tie the Filipinos for second place as Gregory Fung submitted a  four-under-par 68, the tournament’s low round so far.   Joshuan Shou chipped in with a 72 and Choo Tze Huang contributed a 74 for the Singaporeans, who started the day tied with host Malaysia at 224.   But non-playing captain Tommy Manotoc, a Putra Cup veteran who knows what it takes to win Southeast Asia’s official golf team championship, was not alarmed with the Day 2 performance of the Filipinos, dismissing it as just a “bad day.”   “This is going to be a tight finish,” Manotoc told the Inquirer in an overseas call. “It’s OK, we’re still in there (title hunt). The boys just played bad and we are all looking forward to bouncing back tomorrow (third round).”   Birdies were scarce for the ICTSI-backed Filipinos on a truly tough day, as Fernando, who had a bogey-free 69 on Tuesday, had just one birdie and Jonel Ababa, who was the second best scorer for the Philippines in the opener, had 43 putts in a 79 that did not count.   The whole field actually struggled because of pin placements that bordered on the outrageous, as Atthachai Jaichalad, the Thai ace who shot a 71 on Tuesday, ballooned to an 80 that was thrown away by the team.   “The pins were in the most difficult places,” Manotoc said. “Approaches that landed on the wrong sides of the greens were almost impossible to two putt.”   In Lion City play limited to boys’ 18 years old and below, Andres Saldana, who failed to count in the opening round, fired a 72 and Jobim Carlos had a 73 as the Filipinos kept their six-stroke edge over the Thais.   Reigning RP Am champ Clyde Mondilla’s 76 counted as Miggy Yee had a 78 for the Filipinos, who now have a 36-hole 447 total.   In ladies’ play for the Santi Cup, Andrea Unson assembled a 73 while Irina Gabasa, Dottie Ardina and Chihiro Ikeda scored 74s  as they joined Malaysia in a second-place tie, three strokes behind Thailand, with a 448 total.   The Philippines tallied 221 for the day like the Malaysians.