Tabuena is 5 shots off pace

Miguel Tabuena quietly worked his way into contention at the Yeangder TPC in Taiwan, carding a composed two-under-par 69 on Friday to keep himself just five shots back at the halfway mark.

His 36-hole total of 137 left him at seven-under, tied for fourth with defending champion Suteepat Prateeptienchai of Thailand, 17-year-old homegrown amateur Hsieh Cheng-wei, and Australia’s Travis Smyth.

The Filipino star started steady, mixing birdies with controlled shot-making on the tight Linkou International Golf and Country Club layout, where swirling winds and lightning-fast greens have tripped up many in the field.

Tabuena rolled in birdies at key moments, including a clutch one on the par-5 18th that capped off his round on a strong note.

Sean Ramos bounced back from an opening 74 with a 68 to improve to 142.

Justin Quiban, on the other hand, had a pair of 73s for 146.

Up front, towering American Charles Porter stole the headlines with a sizzling seven-under 65, thanks to a red-hot putter that propelled him to 12-under-par 132 and a four-shot lead over Germany’s Dominic Foos and Japan’s Kazuki Higa.

Still, Tabuena — who has shown flashes of brilliance in recent Asian Tour stops — remains firmly within striking range heading into the weekend grind.

The 29-year-old Filipino, already a two-time Asian Tour champion, has been hunting for another breakthrough win to add to his growing resume.

With the course expected to play firmer and the winds forecast to strengthen, Tabuena’s patient style and ability to scramble could be key weapons over the final two rounds.

Meanwhile, Higa, fresh from last week’s Shinhan Donghae Open triumph in Korea, kept his momentum going with another solid 67, while Foos was left ruing two late bogeys that marred what had been a spotless round.