TARLAC – Micah Shin showed up veteran rivals Jay Bayron and Rey Bayron with a near-flawless game that produced a tournament-best seven-under 65, putting the young Korean-American four shots clear off erstwhile leader Tony Lascuña after three rounds of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac Open here yesterday.
The Davao-based shotmaker, whose lean frame belies his power off the tee, rattled off eight birdies in second-to-last flight in another fine day at the Luisita Golf and Country Club, including four straight from No. 2 where he quickly erased Lascuña’s overnight one-shot lead. He then held sway at the back to string a 31-34 card for a four-shot cushion at 12-under 204 heading to the final round of the R2.5 million event sponsored by ICTSI.
“I played well. Everything’s in place,” said Shin, who sparked his birdie-spree with a 19-footer on the par-3 second and went on to gun down seven more against a missed green bogey on the par-5 12th.