Young South Korean sensation Song Minhyuk continued his relentless charge toward a second Asian Tour title, stretching his overnight lead to seven strokes and putting himself in prime position to capture the 108th Philippine Open presented by the Philippine Sports Commission at Manila Southwoods on Saturday.
The 22-year-old, who took command after flirting with a 59 on Friday, carded four birdies in his first 10 holes en route to a five-under-par 65 and a 54-hole total of 195. Song is now focused on putting the finishing touches on a dominant performance, leaving a stunned field struggling to keep pace as no one came closer than six strokes when he made the turn.
“I think I will sleep better tonight,” said the baby-faced Song, who broke through with a victory at the Maekyung Open in his native South Korea earlier this year, through an interpreter.
“I had a good round, actually tried to shoot another 10-under for the second straight day,” Song said with a laugh, referring to his second-round 60 that propelled him to a four-shot lead over Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut. The Thai, who carded a 68 on Saturday, now trails the Korean by seven strokes.
(C) NGAP
The Philippine challenge, which had been whittled down to eight players after Friday’s halfway cut, now trails by nine and 10 strokes, respectively, following strong efforts from Justin Quiban and Sean Ramos. The two carded a 65 and a day’s best 64, respectively, to put themselves in contention for top-five finishes.
Jeongwoo Ham emerged as the second Korean in the top three after shooting a 66 to move within a stroke of Suwannarut, while Thailand’s Sarut Vongchaisit joined Quiban in a tie after carding a 68.
“This could really be very special,” Song said when asked about the prospect of winning for the second time this year. “It would be very good to win again, and even more special because of the history of this tournament.”
After a blistering stretch on Friday, when he went seven-under over a five-hole span on his opening nine, Song took a more methodical approach in the third round. His only blemish came on the 11th hole, where he three-putted for a bogey.
(C) NGAP
Otherwise, it was a workmanlike display of finesse and measured aggression, as he attacked whenever opportunities presented themselves. Song missed just four greens but saved par on all of them. He needed only 27 putts to navigate the Masters layout, despite changing conditions that saw his group start in intense heat before encountering rain over its final five holes.
Song could also become one of the youngest winners of Asia’s oldest national open, although Larry Montes holds the distinction of being the youngest recorded champion. Montes won the first of his 12 Philippine Open titles in 1929 at just 16 years old.
No other player managed to make a significant move on moving day, with several fancied contenders falling out of the hunt. Among them was Micah Shin, who struggled to a 76 and bowed out of contention.
Pavit Tangkamolprasert, meanwhile, continued to cling to the top spot in the Asian Tour Order of Merit race ahead of Australia’s Travis Smyth. The Thai shot a 69 to return to level-par 210, just two strokes behind Smyth, while keeping his hold on the No. 1 position and the automatic DP World Tour slot that comes with it.
