Tabuena finds form late but trails in Taiwan

(UPDATED 5:41 P.M.) MANILA, Philippines — Miguel Tabuena saved his best for last, uncorking a pair of late birdies to fire a 69, cap a roller-coaster opening round ,and put himself in position to mount a weekend charge in the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Chinese Taipei Thursday.

Tabuena’s finishing flourish highlighted a solid Filipino showing in the morning wave, with Carl Corpus and Justin Quiban earlier carding identical three-under cards to stay within striking distance at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club.

Tabuena, Corpus and Quiban shared 29th place. Angelo Que shot 71 for joint 72nd, while Aidric Chan struggled to a 73 and stood in danger of missing the cut.

Tabuena, tuning up with Corpus for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan later this month, got off to a fast start with a birdie on No. 1 and an eagle on the par-5 fourth. He then endured a mid-round stumble, dropping shots on Nos. 8 and 13.

The LIV Golf campaigner, however, refused to let the slide derail his round.

Tabuena immediately answered the bogey on 13 with a birdie on the next hole, then bounced back from another dropped shot on No. 15 with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18, closing with a flourish that revived his position on the leaderboard.

His late surge gave him a 69 and left him with plenty of promise heading into the second round.

Corpus also looked poised for an even bigger number after a sizzling start. Starting on the back nine, the 25-year-old birdied three of his first nine holes before adding birdies on Nos. 1 and 3 to move into the early mix.

But the Asian Games-bound standout lost momentum coming home.

Corpus missed both the fairway and green on No. 7 and made his first bogey of the day, then struggled again from tee to green on the ninth for another dropped shot. He settled for a 36-33, good for a share of 11th.

The Asian Development Tour winner in Morocco last year thus remained within early striking distance despite the late stumble.

Quiban matched Corpus at 69 after also putting together a steady morning round. Starting on No. 1, he birdied Nos. 1 and 4, then recovered from a three-putt bogey on the fifth with birdies on Nos. 9, 10 and 13.

He gave one back on No. 14 after missing both the fairway and green but closed with a 34-35 to join Corpus and Tabuena.

Que, meanwhile, appeared headed for another strong round after overcoming an early bogey on No. 2 with four birdies on Nos. 4, 12, 14 and 16.

Coming off another Philippine Golf Tour victory at Summit Point last Friday, Que had fought his way into the same 69 territory as Corpus and Quiban before a costly finish on the 18th.

The veteran double-bogeyed the closing par-5 to fall back to 71 for joint 72nd.

At the top, Malaysia’s Ervin Chang made the most of calm morning conditions, scorching the par-72 layout with a 64 to seize early control of the $1.2-million championship, the 10th leg of this year’s Asian Tour.

Thai Pavit Tangkamolprasert joined him with a brilliance eight-under card in the afternoon wave. He eagled the par-5 first hope then rattled off six more to turn in a stirring bogey-free pair of 32s.

Local ace Hung Chien Yao missed grabbing the solo lead with a last-hole miscue on No. 9, settling for a share of lead with Chang and Tangkamolprasert at eight-under.

Hung rattled off four birdies in a backside start then eagled No. 1 and birdied Nos. 3, 4 and 5 to stom ahead with a nine-under card. But he bogeyed ninth to settle for two 32s.

Chang birdied three of his first four holes, absorbed a bogey on No. 5, then responded emphatically with a six-birdie burst over a 12-hole stretch from No. 7 that included four birdies on the closing nine.

His eight-under card moved him past Japan’s Kazuki Higa, who shot 65, while Khavish Varadan, Poosit Supupramai and amateur Daichi Hayashi shared third at 66.

With another round still to be played before the cut, the Filipinos remained in varying positions on a crowded leaderboard – but it was Tabuena’s closing burst that provided the most encouraging spark, giving him momentum to carry into the next round.

The Yeangder TPC is the first of back-to-back Asian Tour events in Chinese-Taipei. The Mercuries Taiwan Masters follows on September 24-27 at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club.

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