Ramos sustains hot charge, eyes strong Asian Tour finish

MANILA, Philippines — Sean Ramos kept his foot on the gas with a second consecutive five-under 65, surging into a share of eighth place at the $1-million Macao Open Saturday and setting himself up for a potential career-best finish on the Asian Tour.

Displaying nerves of steel and a refined touch on the greens, the 24-year-old Ramos turned in a superb 33-32 round at the par-70 Macau Golf and Country Club, birdieing four of his final seven holes to bring his three-day total to 10-under 200.

After an inconsistent start to the tournament, Ramos shifted into high gear midway through the second round and hasn't looked back. His back-to-back 65s – both among the lowest scores in the field – not only highlighted his shot-making maturity but also reinforced his readiness to compete at the highest level of regional golf.

He now finds himself tied at eighth with five others, including fellow Korean-American Micah Shin, who also fired a 66.

While Ramos remains six shots off the lead held by Thai frontrunner Sarit Suwannarut at 16-under 194, his surge up the leaderboard puts him in prime position for his first Top 10 finish – and possibly more – in his rookie season on the Tour.

Ramos’ previous best finish came just last week with a 19th place showing in Indonesia, but his performance here in Macao points to a player fast finding his footing among Asia’s elite. His composed finish on Saturday, especially amid a leaderboard peppered with seasoned pros and rising stars, is a testament to both his growing confidence and ability to execute under pressure.

At the top, Suwannarut kept his grip on the lead with a clinical 66, birdieing three of his first nine holes and bouncing back from a three-putt bogey on No. 10 with clutch birdies on 16 and 18. He heads into Sunday’s final round at 16-under 194, two shots clear of hard-charging Australian Brett Rankin, who fired a sizzling 64 for solo second at 196.

China’s Wenyi Ding, still in the mix after a solid 65, sits alone in third at 197.

Meanwhile, another Filipino campaigner, Justin Quiban, cooled off with an even-par 70, dropping him to a tie for 39th at 206. He’ll be looking to bounce back in Sunday’s final round of the $1 million championship.

Over in Tarlac, Angelo Que and Carl Corpus sustained their hot streaks with another pair of gutsy performances in the third round of the ADT Players Championship at Luisita Golf and Country Club on Saturday, bolstering their respective bids for a coveted Top 2 finish.

Que, a three-time Asian Tour winner, continued to flash vintage form, firing a second consecutive bogey-free 67 to jump into solo third at 206, just one shot behind Thailand’s Waris Manthorn (69) in second at 205.

The veteran Filipino remained six strokes off leader Sam Broadhurst of England, but is firmly in contention for the runner-up spot in the tournament, which offers a berth in the first-ever International Series leg to be held in the Philippines, at Sta. Elena next week.

Broadhurst widened his lead with a flawless eight-under 64, highlighted by three sets of back-to-back birdies on the front nine, followed by two more on the inward stretch. He compiled nines of 30-34 for a 16-under 200 total, taking a commanding five-shot lead over Manthorn.

Corpus, meanwhile, mounted a remarkable comeback after a shaky start, rallying with a fiery 68 to join a crowded group tied for fourth at 207. The rookie campaigner looked out of sorts early, stumbling with a double bogey-bogey-double bogey stretch.

But showing grit and composure beyond his years, the Filipino ace ignited a scoring spree with back-to-back birdies from No. 4, then racked up seven more over a 12-hole stretch starting from the seventh.

Corpus is seeking to follow up on his breakthrough ADT victory in Morocco last June and has positioned himself well for a strong Sunday finish.

For his part, amateur Shinichi Suzuki carded an even-par 72 to slip to joint 33rd at 213. Fellow amateur Perry Bucay and Enrico Gallardo also matched par 72s to remain tied at 42nd with 216s.

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