Stewart sets sights on end of drought

TARLAC—Tim Stewart mixed power with accurate iron play to produce a third straight 67 and take a four-shot lead on Friday after three rounds of the ICTSI Azucarera de Tarlac Open here.

With pins planted on tough spots and the winds picking up, the Australian ace completed a bogey-free card and saved crucial pars on the way to a 15-under 201 aggregate and—potentially—an end to a pro drought.

“I played more than 50 tournaments around the globe and 26 here in the Philippines but [I’ve been] winless up to this time,” said Stewart, 34, who won the Tasmanian Open as an amateur in 2008. “Hopefully, I make it this time.”

That should be more than just wishful thinking after creating a four-shot buffer against Guido Van der Valk and watching Lexus Keoninh and Clyde Mondilla falter.

Van der Valk shot a 68 for a 205.

Keoninh limped with a 75 and tumbled to joint sixth at 209 with Rupert Zaragosa, while Mondilla shot a 70 and remain at third at 207, now six strokes behind Stewart.