Age is proving to be nothing but a number, with the sweltering heat serving as just another hazard for Tony Lascuña.
Shaking off early putting struggles, the 55-year-old veteran leaned on laser-precise driving and a razor-sharp wedge game to spark a back-nine surge, firing a four-under 68 to firm up his grip on the lead halfway through the ICTSI Caliraya Springs Championship in Cavinti, Laguna on Wednesday.
Unlike the relatively mild opening day, the second round saw the sun bake the rolling Arnold Palmer-designed Caliraya Springs Golf Club, turning the tournament into a grueling test of hydration, stamina, and mental fortitude. But while the heat and course setup wilted others, the five-time Order of Merit champion remained unflappable.
Starting his round at the back nine, Lascuña—who led by two after 18 holes following a solid 64—initially appeared to be cooling off as he squandered several birdie chances on at least six holes. Yet where frustration could have crept in, the multi-titled campaigner leaned on his seasoned course management.
At the turn, his patience paid off. Lascuña birdied the first two holes of the front nine, added two more on Nos. 4 and 5, then recovered from a mishap on the eighth with a closing birdie to finish with a 32-36 card.
While his late birdie burst fell short of the eight he drained in his opening 64, it was more than enough to keep him on top at 12-under 132. Remarkably, Lascuña has yet to drop a single shot. Now 36 holes away from snapping a long title drought, he is proving he can still go toe-to-toe with a hungry, power-hitting younger generation.
“I had a near-perfect par at the back nine, just waited for the birdie to drop. My putting isn’t bad – it just hadn’t been dropping,” said Lascuña in Filipino, his patience and experience once again guiding him through a familiar grind that has produced multiple titles.
He said he wasn’t fazed by the heat, but by the hilly layout of the course.
“The heat is fine, just stayed hydrated. What’s exhausting are the uphill holes – there are so many of them,” he said with a grin.
Ahead of his showdown with Keanu Jahns and Zanieboy Gialon, Lascuña said he will simply enjoy the game. “Whatever the challenge is, you take it as it comes.”
Acknowledging his rivals’ power, the ace Davaoeño shotmaker said he will lean on his putting saying, “I’ll leave the approach shots to my game, but my driving is steady and if my putting clicks, that’s where the big chances come from.”
The Manila Southwoods pro, however, can afford no room for complacency, with a wild and tightly packed third-round battle looming and a star-studded leaderboard breathing down his neck.
Defending champion Jahns grabbed solo second at 135 after a 68, unable to close to within two after a last-hole bogey on No. 9. He ignited his charge with three straight birdies at the back nine, survived mid-round mishaps, and recovered with five birdies against two bogeys on the front nine as he stayed on track for a potential repeat of his four-stroke dominance last year.
Angelo Que spent most of the round in a share of second and looked poised to join Lascuña and Jahns in a highly anticipated threesome for Round 3. But he drove out-of-bounds on the par-4 ninth and settled for a double bogey, slipping to a 70 and dropping into joint third with Gialon and Guido van der Valk at 136.
But the final 36 holes of the P2.5 million championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. won’t be a two-man race. The leaderboard remains tightly bunched, setting up maximum drama for moving day.
Gialon rekindled his old form at the well-maintained Arnold Palmer-designed layout, unleashing an eight-birdie barrage to offset a double bogey for a 66, while van der Valk was equally sharp, navigating the punishing conditions for his own six-under card to join Gialon at eight-under total.
Sean Ramos, buoyed by a recent heartbreaking playoff loss in Malaysia, carded a steady 68, while Rupert Zaragosa joined him after a 70 for matching 137s, joining Lascuña in a rare feat of being bogey-free through the first 36 holes.
Russell Bautista and Dino Villanueva shot 70 and 71, respectively, to tie for eighth at 138, also joining Lascuña and Zaragosa in the “bogey-free through two rounds” club.
With the course drying up, greens quickening, and temperatures soaring, the penultimate round is poised for a chaotic scramble for position. Lascuña holds the steering wheel for now, but with heavyweights and hungry young guns locked and loaded behind him, Caliraya Springs is set to erupt.
Clyde Mondilla, who tied Que for second in the opening round, faltered with a 74 and tumbled to joint 15th at 140, now eight strokes off Lascuña.
Forty players advanced to the final two rounds, including Rico Depilo (71), Carlos Packing and Francis Morilla, who matched par 72s, and Kim Tae Soo (73), all tied for 37th at 144 to make the cut.
