Filipinos stay in title hunt

HUA HIN, Thailand — A costly double bogey on his final hole took the sting out of Vito Sarines’ late charge, but the young Filipino remained within striking distance of the leaders in the boys’ Class B of the Singha Thailand Junior World Championships at Royal Hua Hin Golf Club on Thursday.

The 14-year-old national team standout appeared poised to make a significant move up the leaderboard after recovering from a difficult start. Starting on the back nine, Sarines stumbled with three consecutive bogeys to close his opening nine, putting his bid for a strong round in danger.

But he refused to fold.

Sarines came roaring back with back-to-back birdies at the start of his homeward journey, breathing new life into his round and putting pressure on the players ahead. A bogey on No. 3 slowed his momentum, however, and the closing double bogey proved an unfortunate finish to an otherwise spirited fightback.

His two-over-par 76 brought his 36-hole total to 148, or four-over, leaving him in fourth place — just four shots behind Vietnamese leader Bao Phat Nguyen, who carded a one-under 71.

With 36 holes still to play, Sarines has time to mount another charge. Four shots may be a sizeable gap, but a strong third round could quickly bring him back into the thick of the title race.

The Philippines also stayed in contention in the boys’ team event, sharing second spot with Thailand.

Geoffrey Tan, competing in Class A, shot a second-straight 74 as he and Sarines combined to give the Filipinos a two-round total of 8-over par, just four strokes behind Vietnam.

Tan sits on solo sixth on 4-over.

The day, however, belonged to Enzo Cham who produced the team’s first sub-par round — a 71 that catapulted him to a tie for seventh on 5-over. He had three birdies against two bogeys.

In the girls’ division, Brianna Macasaet delivered a much-needed boost for the Philippine contingent, producing a four-over-par 76 — a remarkable nine-shot improvement from her opening-round score.

The effort lifted Macasaet to sixth place in Class C, although she remains 19 shots behind Thai leader Boonyarat Kantha, who matched her opening-round 71 for a second straight under-par performance.

Nicole Gaisano Gan was the Philippines’ top performer in girls’ Class A, carding an 80 for a two-round total of 161.

How the Filipinos fared:

BOYS

CLASS A — Geoffrey Tan 148 (74-74), Enzo Cham 149 (78-71), Gabriel Lapuz 86, Felix Saludar 87, Thirdy Fernando 157 (75-82), Raffi Casperino 159 (83-76), Sebastian Sajuela 162 (81-81), Gabriel Lapuz 166 (86-80), Jacob Gomez 168 (87-81), Felix Saludar 180 (86-94)

CLASS B — Vito Sarines 148 (72-76)

CLASS C — Kvan Alburo 172 (90-82)

GIRLS

CLASS A — Nicole Gaisano Gan 161 (81-80), Bea Lapuz 178 (92-86)

CLASS B — Kimberly Barroquillo 162 (79-83), Marqaela Dy 169 (84-85)

CLASS C — Brianna Macasaet 161 (85-76)

CLASS D — Stephanie Gaisano Gan 204 (100-104).