Strong finish powers Song to PGT Q-School lead

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LAUREL, Batangas — Lee Song battled harsh afternoon conditions before catching fire down the stretch, delivering a scorching frontside finish to salvage a gritty 73 and wrest a two-stroke lead over Ivan Yabut after 36 holes of the Philippine Golf Tour Qualifying School on Wednesday.

A shaky backside start of 39, marred by a double bogey, had threatened to derail his round. But Song mounted a strong recovery, coming through with three birdies in a four-hole stretch from No. 3. A late bogey on No. 8 at sundown, however, kept him from a more explosive finish in the challenging conditions at Splendido Taal Golf Club.

Still, his 34-39 round proved enough to strengthen his hold on the top spot at 4-under 140.

“I didn’t start off too well, but I made some birdies on the front nine,” said Song.

After a solid first round, he dropped two shots on No. 13 and was unable to recover, bogeying the next hole. He then settled into a string of pars before finding his touch and range to birdie Nos. 3, 4 and 6.

A missed green on the eighth, however, spoiled what could have been a fiery front-nine finish.

“I don’t feel any pressure, but I need to stay focused over the last two days,” he added.

But while the Korean, who turned in a bogey-free 67 Tuesday, rebounded to stay ahead, erstwhile joint leader Yabut endured a frustrating day on the greens, missing several makeable birdie opportunities and limping to a 75 for a 142.

Enrico Gallardo also fumbled with a 73 in the morning session and remained in third with a 141, while Hyun Jun Youn fired the day’s best score of 69 to join Yoshizawa Ichiru, who shot a 71, in fourth at 144.

The 18-year-old Hyun, one of several first-time participants in the Q-School organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc., was poised to surge as high as second place if not for a costly mistake on the final hole.

Fueled by a red-hot putter, the Seoul native gunned down five birdies over his first 12 holes, highlighted by a blistering stretch of four birdies from No. 9. But after a string of pars, he faltered on the 18th, dumping his approach into a greenside bunker, where a difficult fried-egg lie forced him to take two shots to escape, resulting in a double bogey.

“I lost my focus on the final hole and hit it into the left bunker,” said Hyun, who remained firmly in contention for low medal honors.

While Hyun thrived with a hot putter, Yabut, who matched Song’s 67 Tuesday, struggled on the greens.

“I struck the ball very well today and missed just three greens, but I couldn’t make any birdies,” rued the 23-year-old Fil-Am, who at least closed his round with two birdies inside 3 feet.

He brushed aside the change in tee time as a non-factor in his over-par round, placing the blame squarely on his struggles on the greens.

“The putts were not dropping today,” said Yabut, who remains committed to his “one shot at a time” mantra — not only to secure a spot in this year’s PGT roster, but also to contend for top honors at Q-School.

The Omaha, Nebraska-born campaigner actually started strong, notching a second consecutive birdie on No. 2. However, he stumbled with a double bogey on the fifth and dropped another shot on No. 10. A birdie on the next briefly steadied his round, but two bogeys over his final six holes led to a 37-38.

Bobe Salahog carded a 71 to move into a tie for sixth at 145 alongside Yudai Nakakuki, who shot an even-par 72. Ryoto Furuya, meanwhile, fired a 70 to join Rolando Marabe Jr. and Miki Ryoma in a tie for eighth at 146 after rounds of 71 and 75, respectively, as the leading contenders continued to jockey for position in pursuit of low medal honors heading into the final two rounds of the 36-hole eliminations.

A total of 63 players survived the first cut at 155, with Carlos Packing (74), Cully Liam (75), Kim Tae Won (75), Edmar Salvador Jr. (78) and Jose Javier Lazatin (79) squeezing in right on the number. However, they — along with a host of other hopefuls — will need strong finishing rounds to break into the coveted Top 30 and secure PGT cards.