Que, Jahns open chase for third victory this season
Angelo Que got his game going in the final three rounds last week in nearby Murcia town that he finished just six shots behind champion Keanu Jahns in the ICTSI Bacolod Golf Challenge.
A one-over-par 71 opening round when the field was shooting five-, six-under scores obviously did the former Philippine Open champion in. But playing his final 54 holes at 13-under-par certainly makes it look like the 46-year-old is up for a great week when the PGT makes its Negros Occidental stop starting on Tuesday.
“It will all still depend on how you feel at the start of the week,” Que told the Inquirer over the phone after flying back to the City of Smiles on Sunday afternoon. They will sample the tough-as-nails layout formerly known as the Marapara for the final time on Monday in the Pro-Am.
“The [course] will be a different test, in a way, but with striking similarities because they are both tight,” Que said when asked to compare Binitin, where Jahns won by four shots over Fidel Concepcion, and the Marapara. “It would really be a matter of playing it smart, knowing where to miss.”
Jahns will be shooting to win a third straight title, and Que will be shooting to pocket a third trophy in the young season after winning the opening two legs.
He said he still has no lofty expectations other than to “play is smart” so he can get himself in the mix when the money rounds come.
Meanwhile, Concepcion is also on the rise, with his second place finish the highest since figuring prominently in the last two legs.
After finishing seventh at Forest Hills, Concepcion was fourth at Caliraya Springs, coming just short in a battle with Jahns and Que in a final round shootout.
Learning from that experience, he bounced back in last week’s Bacolod Golf Challenge, staying in the hunt until the closing holes.
Though Jahns again surged with his signature stretch-run brilliance, Concepcion fired a bogey-free 67 to secure a runner-up finish.
Also entered this week are Aidric Chan, Antonio Lascuña, South Korean Tae Won-ha, Reymon Jaraula, Russell Bautista, Carl Corpus, Collin Wheeler of the United States, Michael Bibat and Sean Ramos.
