Terrific Thai

Sarit Suwannarut is turning heads — and making a statement.

The 27-year-old Thai star delivered another commanding performance on Friday, cementing his status as the man to beat heading into the weekend at the International Series Philippines presented by BingoPlus at Sta. Elena Golf and Country Club in Laguna.

After opening with a scintillating 64 on Thursday, Sarit followed up with a composed 66 to move to 14-under, showing remarkable consistency with just two bogeys in 36 holes.

Miguel Tabuena ignited Filipino hopes early with a sparkling 65, capped by a thrilling hole-in-one. For a time, he held the clubhouse lead at 10-under — a target everyone would chase.

Angelo Que matched Tabuena’s 65, capping his round with three birdies in the last four holes. He is 9-under while Justin Quiban remained firmly in the mix at 6-under.

No other Filipino made the weekend play, with Sean Ramos missing the cut by one stroke.

Among the tournament’s four major champions, Patrick Reed led the way at 8-under, followed by South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel at 7-under, Dustin Johnson at 4-under, and Louis Oosthuizen at 2-under, setting the stage for a dramatic weekend showdown.

Sarit, a two-time International Series winner, birdied three of the first six holes and bounced back from a bogey on 7 with birdies on 8, 11, 16 and 18.

“I’ve been having some pretty good days. I know my game, and I’ve just tried to stay calm and focus on what I have to do,” he said.

“So far, I’ve been doing that pretty well. I just hope I can keep the momentum for the next two days — but you never know what can happen in golf, so we’ll see.”

Sarit said he was surprised by the large number of fans coming to support the players.

“The crowd has been amazing, and it’s great for the event,” he said.

The day began under a drizzle, leaving the greens soft and receptive.

Miguel Tabuena made the most of the calmer morning conditions, turning precision into spectacle. A perfectly struck 8-iron from 171 yards found the cup on the 14th for a hole-in-one, and he followed it up with an eagle on the 16th to keep the momentum rolling.

He was 8-under through 13 until a bogey on 14 led to four straight pars.

Tabuena is tied for second with Japanese Kazuki Higa, who carded a 69.

Four players shared fourth on 9-under. They are Yosuke Asaji (66), Soomin Lee (67), Wang Wei-hsuan (67), and Matthew Cheung (67).

Que, who at 46 is one of the oldest competitors in the field, continued to amaze, knocking in eight birdies against one bogey.

“I wasn’t aware of what I was scoring until the last few holes,” he admitted.

“I didn’t know I scored this low.”

Que said that heading into the tournament, his game plan was simple: hit as many fairways and greens as possible.

He said he’s happy that three Filipinos are contending this weekend.

Quiban rallied with four birdies in the last five holes, highlighted by a chip-in on 16 and a near ace on 17 to finish on 68.

“It feels great to make the cut here at home and actually be sort of in the mix. Even though these guys are going deep, I feel like a good number is coming soon,” he said.

Quiban said when he gets hot, he starts taking aggressive lines and just goes straight at the pins.

“If I know my game’s working, I know I can compete,” he said.

Despite a valiant 68, Sean Ramos won’t be around for the weekend, joining seven other Filipinos who missed the cut. Ramos finished 36 holes at 2-under, just one stroke shy of the halfway mark.

Keanu Jahns closed at even par after back-to-back 72s, Carl Jano Corpus stood at 1-over following a 73, and Clyde Mondilla ended 2-over after a 77. Aidric Chan carded a 72 for 3-over, while Enrico Gallardo (76) and Rupert Zaragosa (75) both finished 5-over. Amateur Perry Bucay rounded out the local contingent at 10-over after a 77.rey