Que retains Pradera Verde lead

LUBAO, Pampanga — Angelo Que weathered a series of errors, including a late stumble, to post a second consecutive 71 and maintain his lead in the Philippine Golf Tour Q-School.

His main rivals also struggled with their own challenges on the tough course, ensuring a thrilling finish to the event.

The wind-swept ICTSI Pradera Verde Championship course continued to test players, especially in the final holes, where composure and execution were key. Que gained momentum with a four-birdie run over five holes starting at No. 6, recovering from an early bogey.

However, a double bogey on the water-guarded par-3 11th briefly set him back. He responded with pars and a birdie on the 16th but faltered with a bogey on the 17th. Despite the setback, Que finished the day with a one-under 71, bringing his total to six-under 210 after three rounds.

Carl Corpus, his closest competitor, matched Que’s score of 71 for the third consecutive round, bringing his total to 213. Corpus had surged to within one stroke of Que after 13 holes, riding a three-under run, but two bogeys in the last five holes halted his charge. The punishing layout and difficult pin placements on the course kept the gap from closing further.

With six shots separating the leaders from the rest of the field, the final round is set to be a match-play battle for the P450,000 top prize in the P2.5 million season opener of the Philippine Golf Tour, sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

The Pinatubo course at Pradera Verde, playing as a challenging par 37-35, proved unforgiving, especially on the back nine.

Jaehyun Jung, the Q-School leader, finished with a 70, tying for third with Guido van der Valk, who shot a 69 for an even-par total of 216.

For others, the chase for the title has nearly slipped away.

Keanu Jahns, who had been in contention with back-to-back 71s, fell off with a birdie-less 77, dropping to a tie for fifth at 219 with Aidric Chan (73). Ryan Monsalve and Palos Verdes leg winner Lloyd Go both posted 69s to finish in sixth (220) and seventh (221), respectively.

Five-time Order of Merit champion Tony Lascuña posted his first under-par round of the week with a 71, tying for ninth at 222 with Tae Soo Kim (71) and Clyde Mondilla (73).