Philippinesâ Miguel Tabuena and Micah Lauren Shin of the United States held a slim advantage atop the leaderboard after they returned with matching two-day totals of two-under-par 140s to snatch the clubhouse lead at the US$60,000 ICTSI Eagle Ridge Invitational on Thursday.
With play suspended for the day due to lightning threat, the duo now hold a one-shot lead after overnight leader Ferdinand Aunzo of the Philippines slipped to third when he posted a one-under-par 70.
Malaysiaâs Arie Irawan and American Brett Munson, a one-time Asian Development Tour (ADT) winner, are tied for fourth after they signed for a 69 and 67 respectively at the ADT event which is staged at the Aoki course of the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club.
Having carded a first round 74 which left him tied for 12th, Shin hauled himself back into contention with a splendid 66.
Starting on the back-nine 10th, Shin turned in 34 after mixing two birdies and a bogey.
He then went on a birdie blitz on the second, fifth, sixth and eighth holes before storming home comfortably in 66.
âThis is my fifth competitive start for the year and frankly it has been a roller-coaster ride. The formâs been up and down,â admitted the American.
âI putted really well and I think that was the key for me. Hopefully, I can maintain this type of form and put in a more consistent performance over the next two rounds,â said Shin.
Like Shin, Tabuena also recovered brilliantly from his opening round setback (72) and put in a much improved performance.
Fresh off his first domestic win of the season last month, the 20-year-old displayed similar resolve to win by charging out of the blocks with two birdies in his opening three holes.
He went on a bogey-birdie-double bogey run starting from 13 before redeeming himself with four birdies on the first, third, fifth and sixth holes.
The young Filipino then dropped another shot on seven in his inward-nine.
âIâm playing really well at the moment and I just want to capitalize on this good form.
âThere was not much win in the morning and I played that to my advantage. It was an improvement from yesterdayâs score and hopefully it gets better,â said Tabuena.
The ICTSI Eagle Ridge Invitational is one of the two tournaments title-sponsored by the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) in the Philippinesand is the seventh leg of the ADT schedule this season.
The ICTSI will also title-sponsor the US$60,000 ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic slated to tee off at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club from April 22 to 25 next week.
The ADT will reward the top-five finishers on the Order of Merit at the end of this season with Asian Tour cards for 2016.
With the Olympic Games looming in 2016 where golf will be reintroduced as a medal sport, players in the region could earn their spots in Rio de Janeiro by earning Official World Golf Ranking points through the Asian Tour and ADT.
For more information on the ADT, please visit www.
Leading second round scores
140 Â Â Â Â Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) 74-66, Miguel TABUENA (PHI) 72-68
141 Â Â Â Â Ferdinand AUNZO (PHI) 71-70
142Â Â Â Â Â Brett MUNSON (USA) 75-67, Arie Irawan (MAS) 73-69
143Â Â Â Â Â Sejun YOON (USA) 73-70
145Â Â Â Â Â Angelo QUE (PHI) 77-68
146Â Â Â Â Â Miguel OCHOA (PHI) 76-70, Antonio LASCUNA (PHI) 74-72, Poosit SUPUPRAMAI (THA)75-71, Dante BIECERRA (PHI) 74-72, Nick REDFERN (ENG) 73-73, Panuwat MUENLEK (THA) 75-71
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For full scores, please visit, http://asiandevelopmenttour.
