Tabuena fires bogey-free 65, stays in hunt

Miguel Tabuena matched his opening seven-under 65 in a bogey-free round as he trailed Asian Tour No. 1 Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand by one halfway through the $300,000 Sarawak Championship at Damai Golf and Country Club in Malaysia yesterday.

Tabuena overcame shaky driving midway in the round with superb iron shots he spiked with splendid recoveries from around the green, saving three pars to help preserve a solid 33-32 that featured seven birdies for a 36-hole aggregate of 130 in a tie with Aussie Andrew Dodt, who sizzled with a 64, and Taiwanese Hung Chien-Yao, who shot a 66.

But Janewattananond came out better than the troika with his own version of a 64, also a bogey-less card that went well with his opening 65 for a 129 as the majority of the fullpacked field kept pounding the par-72 layout with world class shotmaking and putting.

Tabuena, out to end a long slump on the Asian Tour, hit eight birdies, including four straight from No. 6, in Thursday’s opener marred by a bogey on No. 4. But the diminutive, talented Filipino shotmaker kept his card spotless yesterday to head to the weekend play brimming with confidence.

But the same couldn’t be said of Justin Quiban, who surprised the stellar international field with a lead-sharing, eight-birdie 64 in the first round only to struggle in the next with three bogeys against a birdie at the back, his frontside yesterday, although he fought back with three birdies at the front to save a 71 for joint 10th at 135, now six shots off the pace.