By Waylon Galvez
STA. ROSA, Laguna – Miguel Tabuena came through with a long birdie putt on the 17th to highlight a two-under 70 and took a one-shot lead over erstwhile leader Guido Van der Valk halfway through the rich The Country Club Invitational yesterday at the TCC here.
Up against the durable star in Frankie Miñaza, Tabuena wheeled his way to the top from three down with three birdies against two bogeys after 16 holes before rolling in a 20-footer for birdie on the 17th for a two-day total of 141.
Van der Valk, who was five flights behind, was looking good after birdying two of the first three holes at the back and kept a one-stroke lead despite another bogey on No. 13.
But to his chagrin, he pulled his tee-shot to the left of the 161-yard No. 17 and flubbed a 15-foot par save bid for a 74.
That enabled Tabuena to seize control heading to the last 36 holes of the P5 million event sponsored by ICTSI president and chairman Ricky Razon.
The Dutch blamed poor putting for his struggles – a sharp contrast in the opening round that saw him score a 68.
Though he was the only player to produce back-to-back under par rounds, Tabuena headed straight to the range for a quick swing check with coach J3 Altea.
“Though I played pretty well, I feel there’s a need to fix something. I missed some fairways and it can’t be that way, especially when the strong winds come in,” said Tabuena, moving closer to scoring a repeat after nipping three-time winner Juvic Pagunsan by one last year.
Van der Valk, on the other hand, needed to polish his stroke after making three-putt bogeys on Nos. 2 and 5. He also flubbed a 10-footer for birdie on the last hole and missed joining Tabuena at the helm.
“I didn’t get the right speed,” rued the 38-year-old Manila-based Dutchman. “I need to have a lot of good putts in the last two days to have a chance at the title.”
