Que takes three-shot lead into final round at Pradera
There is nothing new as far as Angelo Que coming into the final round of a tournament holding the lead is concerned. The pressure isn’t in that aspect.
“I have to be careful,” Que, a multiple-time champion here and abroad, told the Inquirer over the phone on Wednesday after carving out a second straight one-under-par 71 that kept him atop by three shots over Carl Corpuz in the P2.5 million ICTSI Pradera Verde Championship at the brand new Pinatubo course in Lubao, Pampanga.
“It’s playing tough,” Que, the Bong Lopez ward, said of the 37-35 layout that has claimed the chances of many, especially in the back nine where he signed for his first double bogey of the week on No. 11 for a 54-hole 210 aggregate. “I will just stick to my game plan which has been working the entire week.”
Corpuz also churned out a roller-coaster 71 and for all intents and purposes, is the only man with a realistic chance of catching up, with South Korean Q School winner Jung Jae-hyun, after a 70, and The Netherlands’ Guido van der Valk, who fired a 69, a clear six shots off.
Chunked 8-iron
Aidric Chan and Keanu Jahns fired a 73 and 77, in that order, to be nine strokes off the pace, with Ryan Monsalve shooting a 69 to be another stroke back.
“I have no expectations,” said Corpuz, who admitted marveling at the way Que navigated his round in the final flight on Wednesday.
“It’s been really fun. I didn’t expect the way he goes about his round, and it’s been a great insight for me,” Corpuz added. “I’ve always looked up to the country’s top pros, and playing with them is a big boost to my career.”
The 46-year-old Que gunned down four birdies in a five-hole stretch from No. 6 when he stepped on the 11th tee mound facing a 177-yard tee shot over a huge lake guarding the front of the green.
He chunked an 8-iron slightly to find the water and sign for that double bogey 5, a missed chance that could have given him a commanding lead.
Que hasn’t won since the PH Masters almost a year ago at Villamor and said that this one is important in a lot of ways.
“It’s another win and that would be nice,” he said. “Plus, it gives me the confidence knowing that I can still play at this level, something I can take with me for the rest of the year.”
