Song Minhyuk of South Korea led the foreigners’ early-day assault and flirted with a 59 as the 108th Philippine Open presented by the Philippine Sports Commission welcomed a new leader heading into weekend play, with only a handful of local bets led by Lloyd Go surviving the carnage at Manila Southwoods.
Song played the final five holes of the difficult back nine—his outward nine—at seven-under, highlighted by a remarkable two-hole stretch in which he made a pitch-in eagle and an ace. He went on to card a 10-under-par 60 to take a four-shot lead over Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut, posting a 36-hole aggregate of 130.
“It just feels like so much has happened and I am still trying to process everything,” Song said through a translator. “I’m just trying to think of it as a really great day.”
His score, however, will not count as the new course record, as the field played under lift, clean, and place rules during the first two rounds. Thailand’s Danthai Boonma still holds the record after shooting a 62 in the third round last year.
(C) NGAP
Go, meanwhile, ground out a solid round in the afternoon wave, when conditions were considerably more difficult as swirling winds left several fancied contenders scrambling. The Cebu native carded a 68 to emerge as the best-placed Filipino at 138, just one stroke ahead of Justin Quiban, who shot an even-par round.
Song first birdied the 14th after his approach shot hit the pin and stopped near the hole. He followed that with another birdie on the 15th before chipping in for eagle on the 16th. He then aced the 189-yard 17th before capping a spectacular back nine of 28 with another birdie on the relatively easy par-five 18th.
“After that, I just went with the flow and kept playing,” Song said, adding four more birdies on his way home. His bid for a sub-60 round, however, ended when he missed a birdie putt on the picturesque ninth hole.
“I was worried about potentially three-putting,” Song said when asked why he did not give his birdie putt a more aggressive attempt. “I decided it was better to just get it close and make sure of the two putts.”
First-round leader Nick Voke of New Zealand struggled in the afternoon wave, carding a 74 to fall nine shots off the lead heading into the weekend rounds. Meanwhile, Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand and pony-tailed Australian Travis Smyth, who are running first and second in the Order of Merit race, took contrasting routes, shooting a 73 and 68, respectively, to sit tied at 141.
Go made the turn at three-under after an impressive front nine but struggled coming home. He needed to sink a long, curling birdie putt on the 17th to finish at two-under and remain among the few Filipinos carrying the country’s hopes into the weekend.
Quiban endured another roller-coaster round, his second in as many days. He needed two birdies over his final five holes to salvage an even-par 70 and remain mathematically in contention for his first Philippine Open title. He enters the third round tied with Voke and eight others.
Sean Ramos also made a move, with the 22-year-old, who won in Egypt a month ago, putting himself within striking distance heading into the weekend. He carded a 67 to move to 141.
