TCC Invitational: Tabuena bucks strong winds, leads with 76

STA. ROSA, Laguna – In the windswept terrain of The Country Club, Miguel Tabuena faced the tempest head-on and remained in command despite a 76 as his rivals also came in ruffled by the winds halfway through the TCC Invitational here Wednesday.

Following his impressive eight-under 64 Tuesday in hot but calm conditions Tuesday, Tabuena and the rest of the elite cast encountered a relentless barrage of gusts throughout the day, leading to soaring scores and turning the competition into a true test of the players’ mettle and resilience.

Despite the 12-shot turnaround, however, the two-time Philippine Open champion stayed in control at four-under 140, four strokes clear of Tony Lascuña, who also struggled in the windy backside with a 38 for a 74 and a 144.

“Today was tough for myself and I believe for everyone,” said Tabuena, who gunned down nine birdies against a birdie in setting a new course record in the first round. “But it’s also a regular day at TCC at this time of the year.”

“I did get off to a shaky start. It wasn’t easy at all, I didn’t hit as many greens as I wanted to. But I’m pretty happy with the way I fought, pretty happy with my score. I’m in a good spot coming into the last 2 rounds,” added Tabuena, who had a birdie-less 39-37 card marred by six bogeys but marked by an eagle-blast on No. 10.

“Grabe ang kondisyon, ang hirap. Pero pipilitin natin,” said Lascuña, who is also seeking redemption after yielding the ICTSI TCC Match Play crown to Tabuena last November.

Clyde Mondilla actually fought back strong from an initial struggle of three bogeys after seven holes, birdying Nos. 8, 10 and 13 to draw level par and tie Lascuña at second even-par overall. But the 2019 Philippine Open champion bogeyed the par-3 17th but still posted one of the day’s two best 73s. He slipped to third at 145.

“Galit na galit ang course. Kailangan mag-click ang recovery shots, dapat maganda ang putting at ang pitch, dapat maibalik para maka-save par,” said Mondilla.

Rupert Zaragosa also blew an even-par card with bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16 as he carded a 74 for fourth at 147 while PGT Order of Merit titleholder Jhonnel Ababa and Rico Depilo also squandered a pair of even-par