Tabuena, Miñoza, Que share TCC lead

CANLUBANG, Laguna—Young Miguel Tabuena capped a back-nine 32 with a birdie-birdie-par finish to shoot a 2-under-par 68 and tie the revered Frankie Miñoza and three-time champion Angelo Que for the lead after Day 1 of The Country Club Invitational here.

The 18-year-old nailed putts from the fringe for birdies on the 16th and 17th and then  drained an uphill seven-footer for par in the closing hole to join Miñoza and Que on top of the P5-million event, one stroke ahead of four players that included the highly rated Juvic Pagunsan.

Tabuena, whose final round meltdown in the Philippine Open a year ago became as big a story as Singaporean Mardan Mamat’s runaway victory, had five birdies in all against three bogeys on a day spared by the feared winds at the exclusive layout.

Miñoza, who won the Senior Japan Open last November, and Que had nines of 34-34.

Pagunsan, the former Asian Tour No. 1 and Rookie of the Year, limped throughout the round but still managed three birdies for a 69 like brothers Jay and Rufino Bayron and Orlan Sumcad.

Juanito Pagunsan, Juvic’s father, followed his son throughout the round and said that Juvic—who propped up his right leg with his clubs at times—could have hurt himself in pickup basketball games before the tournament.

Sumcad, probably the longest hitter in the local tour, turned a two-over card after 11 holes into a gem when he picked up four shots in a three-hole stretch from No. 12, holing a 165-yard second shot with a pitching wedge on the par-4 13th for an eagle.

“I didn’t change anything in my game, just my irons,” Tabuena told the Inquirer, referring to a new set of blade-type irons he started using last month in the Asian Tour Qualifying, where he barely missed making it to this year’s regular Asian roster.

Que bogeyed 9 and 10 to squander a two-under card after nine holes. But he picked up shots on 15 and 17 thanks to his putting to put his bid for a fourth title in motion.

“I didn’t hit it  all that well today,”  said Que, the 34-year-old who won in 2007 and then back-to-back from 2010. “But I putted like a maniac.”

Carl Santos-Ocampo was the only one at level 70 even as former PH Open champion Elmer Salvador returned a 71, a stroke ahead of  the in-form Antonio Lascuña.

Coming into the tournament as the hottest player on the tour, Lascuña hit a semi-shank in his approach to the 18th green and found the lagoon.  His 35-37 card was littered by two bogeys and a double bogey against birdies on Nos. 4 and 14.

“I don’t know what happened,” Lascuña   said when asked of his wayward second shot. “I was surprised that the ball flew way right.”

The scores:

68—M. Tabuena 36-32, F. Miñoza 34-34, A. Que 34-34; 69—J. Bayron 37-32, O. Sumcad 36-33, J. Pagunsan 35-34, R. Bayron 33-36; 70—C. Santos-Ocampo 34-36; 71—R. Pagunsan 38-33, C. Mondilla 38-33, E. Salvador 38-33; 72—F. Aunzo 38-34, A. Fernando 37-35, C. Casas 36-36, A. Lascuna 35-37; 73—M. Bibat 39-34, R. Sinfuego 37-36; 74—M. Fernando 39-35, R. Lam 39-35, M. Pucay 37-37, C. Hong 36-38, D. Ardina (Am) 36-38, R. Garalde 35-39