Singapore's Mardan Mamat produced a two under par 70 in tough conditions to open up a three shot halfway lead at the ICTSI Philippine Open.
Chasing a third Asian Tour victory, but first since 2006, the veteran tamed the notorious Wack Wack Golf and Country Club’s East Course with two birdies against no bogeys to lead American Ben Fox and local hopes Antonio Lascuna and Ferdinand Aunzo with his five under par 139 total.
Lascuna battled to a 71, Aunzo shot a 70, while Fox scrambled to a 73 in Asia’s oldest national championship to lie on 142.
Korea’s Mo Joong-kyung, Filipino teenager Miguel Tabuena, Chinese Taipei’s Lu Tze-shyan and American rookie Sam Cyr were amongst those bunched on 143 going into the weekend rounds.
Only ten players are in red figures at the halfway stage, with the cut set at six over par 150 which saw 79 players making it through to the weekend.
Coming off a relatively quiet 2011 season, Mamat broke away from a packed leaderboard with easy birdies on the fifth and tenth holes.
“Going into the last three holes, I told myself that it would be a bonus if I could stay bogey free and I managed to do it. The winds were more, it’s swirling a lot. I was pretty much in control of my swing,” said Mamat.
