Team PH falls 18 shots off new Nomura Cup leader

CARMONA, CAVITE—Team Philippines shot itself in the foot—and out of Nomura Cup contention in all likelihood—after the Filipinos struggled to a second round 151 that left them 18 shots off the lead now being held by regional power Japan. The gritty trio of the country’s finest couldn’t solve the blustery gusts that buffeted the Masters layout of Manila Southwoods on Wednesday, combining for a quadruple bogey, three doubles and 10 bogeys against just seven birdies for a 36-hole 292. Rookie Elee Bisera was the best Filipino in the second round, shooting a three-over-par 75, with Kristoffer Arevalo, who signed for that quadruple on the par-4 11th, firing a 76. Coby Rolida, another rookie, returned a 78 and failed to count. The Japanese, meanwhile, pooled a 136 behind Minato Oshima’s 67, to scamper to a 14-under aggregate, three shots ahead of South Korea even as first round leader Australia dropped 11 strokes behind after a forgettable 285.