Lascuña stretches lead to 4 with 67; Que waxes hot
CAVINTI, Laguna—Unaware of Angelo Que’s record-breaking binge on the other side, Tony Lascuña kept pounding the Caliraya Springs Golf Club with a display of consistency and savvy that have been the trademark of his illustrious career.
A double-bogey mishap on No. 13 didn’t unsettle him, the blistering summer heat didn’t impede him, nor did his old rival’s romp that led to a new course mark of 64 unnerve him.
He just kept coming, moving 18 holes away from snapping a pair of runner- up finishes in the Visayan swing of the Philippine Golf Tour last month with a 67 and a four- stroke lead over Reymon Jaraula in third round of the ICTSI Caliraya Springs Championship here yesterday.
“You can never tell, even if it’s a big lead. I have lost tournaments after leading in the third round and came up short while chasing the leader in some,” said Lascuña, who extended his hot run at the undulating layout after a 68- 66 for a 54-hole total of 15-under 201.
“I’m happy with my game— seven birdies against a double- bogey. I will just play my game and enjoy tomorrow (today),” said the 52-year- old Lascuna, who birdied Nos. 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14 and 16 to negate a doublebogey on No. 13 after a mishit on his approach shot and a f lubbed bogeyputt from eight feet.
He also stressed the need to regain energy and stamina following a grueling round in sweltering heat.
“Grabe ang init, nakakapagod,” added the four-time Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit winner, who also made a pitch of sorts for the host club. “Maganda maglaro dito (sa Caliraya Springs) at mag-bakasyon na din.”
But he found a new rival in Jaraula, who matched his five-under card in bogey-free fashion to wrest solo second at 205, and an equally hot- charging Clyde Mondilla, who also bucked a doublebogey miscue on No. 8 with a cluster of backside birdies—five—to shoot a 66 and move to sixth at 206.
Que matched Mondilla’s 10-under total over 54 holes, fighting back from as many as eight strokes down with a barrage of birdies that came in as rare as rain during summer in the first two days.
Five shots behind, the three- time Asian Tour champion said he would need to do a reprise in the final round to get a crack at the championship worth P450,000.
“Definitely, Tony is way ahead and the only way to catch him is to shoot those scores,” said Que, who rattled off five birdies in a backside start then matched that binge at the front marred by two bogeys to break Lascuna’s previous best of 66 Wednesday.
“If it’s a course record, it’s good. I’m very proud of my feat,” he added.