Nakajima zooms ahead with a 70

TAGAYTAY – Toru Nakajima took command with a gutsy 70 in blustery conditions and grabbed a two-stroke lead over erstwhile leader U Minn Woon and four others, including amateurs Gab Manotoc and Russell Bautista, halfway through the Philippine Golf Tour Q-School at Splendido Taal here yesterday.

Nakajima, the 2013 PGT winner at Wack Wack who placed runner-up to Angelo Que in his last Tour stint at Anvaya Cove in 2017, recovered from an opening-round 73. He birdied the par-5 Nos. 10 and 11 then picked up another stroke on No. 3 for a 36-34.

Nakajima held the solo lead at 143, towing 50 others into the final two rounds of the 72-hole elims offering 35 cards for this year’s PGT beginning with the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic on March 15-18.

It was the comebacking Elmer Salvador, however, who made the biggest jump as the 2009 Order of Merit winner rattled off four birdies in a five-hole stretch from No. 2 to match Woon’s best round of 69 Tuesday.

On the brink with an opening 80, Salvador moved to joint ninth at 149 with Josh Jorge, who carded a 75.

Woon, who opened with a two-shot lead over Nilo Salahog, tried to pull away with birdies on Nos. 2 and 6. But he lost his rhythm in high winds, bogeying Nos. 8 and 9 then yielding more strokes on Nos. 12 and 14 and dropping two shots on the par-3 No. 17.

The 28-year-old Malaysian skied to a 76 and fell into a tie for second at 145 with Manotoc, Bautista, Salahog and Korean Hyun Ho Rho.

Manotoc, a former SEA Games national team member, rebounded from a 74 with a 71, and a closing frontside 35 marked by three birdies against two bogeys. Bautista bucked a two-bogey mishap at the front with three straight birdies from No. 10.

But the 22-year-old from Mactan, Cebu wavered with two bogeys against a birdie in the last five holes to settle for a 72.