Tabuena, Mondilla shine as PH aces hold their own vs stars
CABUYAO—The lean 11-man army tasked to defend home soil in the International Series Philippines held fort on Thursday, with Miguel Tabuena and Clyde Mondilla using furious finishes in firing three-under-par 69s to trail Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut by five shots after the well-attended opening round at Sta. Elena.
Mondilla birdied his last three holes in finishing on the front nine, while the crowd-favorite Tabuena picked up three consecutive shots from No. 15 while playing in the marquee group with Dustin Johnson and Louis Oosthuisen to stay within striking distance of the lead on a strength-sapping hot day.
Justin Quiban had two front nine eagles to shoot a 70 like the seasoned Angelo Que, with Keanu Jahns and Carl Corpus rescuing 72s and needing low second rounds on Friday to advance to weekend play.
The 31-year-old Tabuena whipped up the gallery with those three straight birdies, only to dump his approach on the 18th to a bunker “I’ve never been to in my life.” He hit a great blast to within inches to seal his par and gain the needed momentum for another battle royale with Johnson and Oosthuisen in the second round.
“It was nice to finish off that way, except for the 18th hole,” Tabuena said. “I’ve never been in that bunker in my life. I play there all the time. So, I’m pretty pleased with how I finished, and I think it’s what I needed.”
Johnson, who has a Masters and US Open title, also played to the crowd and fired a 67, with Oosthuisen shooting a 71 like Charl Schwartzel, his fellow South African and another former winner at Augusta National.
Patrick Reed, the third Masters champ in the field, shot a 70 to join Quiban and Que.
“I needed to make adjustments on my putting in the back nine and good that it worked,” Mondilla, the Bukidnon ace, said in Filipino. “It’s a good start, but there’s still a lot of golf to be played.”
Sta. Elena was stretched to its absolute limit at just a shade over 7,300 yards, and the crowd that packed the first tee immediately got a treat from Tabuena, who outdrove Johnson and Oosthuisen with a shot that split the fairway for the group’s first birdie.
“I got off to a good start,” said Tabuena, who had three of his bogeys coming in a seven-hole stretch from the seventh that had him at level heading into his final four holes. “It was nice to birdie 15, 16, 17, which aren’t easy holes.
“I think it’s what I needed for tomorrow to keep this momentum somehow.”
Suwannarut, meanwhile, drained nine birdies in cooler conditions in the morning for his 64, with Japan’s Kasuki Higa shooting a 65.
