Keanu Jahns (front, photo above) studies the line of his putt with his caddy. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
South Korean Ha Tae-won and in-form Keanu Jahns turned in eagle-spiked rounds on Wednesday as the ICTSI Bacolod Golf Challenge at the tree-lined layout formerly known as Binitin has a new set of joint leaders heading into the final 36 holes of the P2 million championship.
Ha and Jahns both eagled the par-5 15th on the way to a six-under-par 64 and a 65, respectively, as they take 132 aggregates and a one-shot lead over the courageous Aidric Chan, who salvaged a 69, with erstwhile joint leader Michael Bibat ballooning to a 76 to now be eight back.
“I putted better and was luckier today,” said Ha, who plays out of Mimosa Plus and Pradera Verde, as he shoots to win for the first time in the circuit and hold off Jahns.
The 29-year-old Jahns, who won at Pradera Verde last month, also had six birdies and could have gotten some buffer heading into the third round if not for three bogeys in a 34-31 round.
“It would be nice to score back-to-back wins, but same game plan—stay in the present,” said Jahns, one of the longest hitters on tour who has so far used his exceptional length to conquer the tight layout.
Chan closed out with bogeys in his last four holes, and Fidel Concepcion shot a 66 to be just two shots back. —Musong R. Castillo