Jahns nears 2nd straight crown

BACOLOD CITY — True to his vow to stay in the moment, Keanu Jahns played like a man on a mission — laser-focused, quietly confident and completely in control — as he carved out a second straight 65 to take solo control of the ICTSI Bacolod Golf Challenge at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club here on Wednesday.

Riding the wave of momentum from his emphatic victory at Caliraya Springs — where he outdueled Angelo Que in a dramatic final-round showdown — Jahns once again underscored his rising stature on the Philippine Golf Tour (PGT). But this time, the surge came earlier — on Moving Day — amid a flurry of low scores and volatile leaderboard shifts in stifling heat.

Jahns came out firing, birdieing four of the first six holes and adding two more on the back nine to offset a lone bogey. His second straight five-under card, following an opening day 67, gave him a 54-hole aggregate of 13-under 197, two strokes clear of a new challenger in Fidel Concepcion.

A consistent contender over the last two PGT events, Concepcion matched Jahns’ 65 to climb into solo second at 199, positioning himself for another crack at a breakthrough win in the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.-organized circuit.

Overnight co-leader Tae Won Ha, who dazzled with an eagle-fueled 64 in the second round to tie Jahns at the halfway point of the P2 million championship, cooled off with a 69.

Shaken by the pressure but showing late-round grit, the 21-year-old Korean birdied two of his final four holes to salvage a 69 although he slipped to third at 201, four shots back but still within striking distance with 18 holes to play on the unpredictable Binitin layout.

Aidric Chan briefly challenged Jahns with a blazing front-nine 32, highlighted by a pitch-in eagle on the par-4 ninth. He stayed within one stroke through 12 holes but unraveled with a triple-bogey on the par-4 13th. Despite bouncing back with another eagle on the par-5 15th, a bogey on the closing par-3 18th capped a rollercoaster round of 69, dropping him to solo fourth at 202.

Several players made their move during the pivotal third round, only to falter down the stretch. Russell Bautista surged into a tie for second with a five-under card through 13 holes but settled for a 66 after a bogey on the final hole, tying Reymon Jaraula for fifth at 203.

Jaraula, last year’s champion with a 16-under total, followed up his second-round 65 with a solid 67, marred only by two bogeys.

Though the rest of the field trails by a wider margin, Binitin’s challenging setup leaves room for dramatic swings on Friday.

Amateur Bobe Salahog continued his impressive run with a second 66 in three days, reaching 204 to share seventh with two-leg winner Angelo Que, who carded a 67, while Tony Lascuña fired a 68 to tie for ninth at 205 with Carl Corpus, who turned in a 69.

With momentum shifting and pressure mounting, all eyes are on Jahns, whose superb putting put him on course for back-to-back triumphs as he aims to carve his place among the tour’s elite.

“I putted very well — that was the main difference compared to my first two rounds,” Jahns said.

“I read the greens really well, so I was able to sink a lot of putts.”

He also credited his solid long game early on, though he admitted to struggling off the tee in the last nine holes.

“I drove it well on the front nine but had a bit of trouble on the back. Still, I managed to keep things together,” he added.

He highlighted his round with five scrambling pars, despite missing a couple of birdie opportunities inside nine feet.

Calling golf a mentally-draining sport, Jahns turns to tennis as a welcome break — and possibly a secret to his recent form.

“Playing tennis helps take my mind off golf,” said Jahns, who also partners with Concepcion in the sport. “Sometimes, golf can really mess with your head.”