STA. ROSA, Laguna – In the windswept terrain of The Country Club, Miguel Tabuena faced the tempest head-on and remained in command despite a 76 as his rivals also came in ruffled by the winds halfway through the TCC Invitational here Wednesday, Jan. 24.

Following his impressive eight-under 64 Tuesday in hot but calm conditions Tuesday, Jan. 23, Tabuena and the rest of the elite cast encountered a relentless barrage of gusts throughout the day, leading to soaring scores and turning the competition into a true test of the players’ mettle and resilience.

Despite the 12-shot turnaround, however, the two-time Philippine Open champion stayed in control at four-under 140, four strokes clear of Tony Lascuña, who also struggled in the windy backside with a 38 for a 74 and a 144.

“Today (yesterday) was tough for myself and I believe for everyone,” said Tabuena, who gunned down nine birdies against a birdie in setting a new course record in the first round. “But it’s also a regular day at TCC at this time of the year.”

“I did get off to a shaky start. It wasn’t easy at all, I didn’t hit as many greens as I wanted to. But I’m pretty happy with the way I fought, pretty happy with my score. I’m in a good spot coming into the last 2 rounds,” added Tabuena, who had a birdie-less 39-37 card marred by six bogeys but marked by an eagle-blast on No. 10.

“Grabe ang kondisyon, ang hirap. Pero pipilitin natin,” said Lascuña, who is also seeking redemption after yielding the ICTSI TCC Match Play crown to Tabuena last November.

Clyde Mondilla actually fought back strongly from an initial struggle of three bogeys after seven holes, birdying Nos. 8, 10 and 13 to draw level par and tie Lascuña at second even-par overall. But the 2019 Philippine Open champion bogeyed the par-3 17th but still posted one of the day’s two best 73s. He slipped to third at 145.

“Galit na galit ang course. Kailangan mag-click ang recovery shots, dapat maganda ang putting at ang pitch, dapat maibalik para maka-save par,” said Mondilla.

Rupert Zaragosa also blew an even-par card with bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16 as he carded a 74 for fourth at 147 while PGT Order of Merit titleholder Jhonnel Ababa and Rico Depilo also squandered a pair of even-par cards with wavering finishes to drop to joint fifth at 148.

As the majority grappled with challenging club selections in the demanding conditions, Ababa endured a roller-coaster stint after 10 holes that featured four birdies against two bogeys and a double bogey. But the Mimosa Plus Championship winner faltered at the finish, bogeying No. 13 and finishing with a double-bogey-bogey skid to end up with a 76.

Depilo, on the other hand, made a quadruple bogey on the par-5 No. 10 after going out-of-bounds following a mishit from the bunker, leading to a 77.

Three-peat seeking Guido van der Valk checked a four-over start after five holes with a second straight birdie on No. 8. But he yielded strokes on Nos. 11 and 15 to end up with a 77 and tumble to a share of seventh with Korean Min Seong Kim, who skied to a 79.

Starting the day six shots clear of Lascuña, Lim and Sean Ramos, Tabuena saw his lead cut down to half after nine holes as a series of mishaps on Nos. 1, 3 and 6, combined with Lascuña’s steady play of one-birdie and one-bogey, made for a tighter race.

But the Tokyo Olympian eagled No. 10 while cashing in on Lascuña’s bogeys on Nos. 10 and 12 to regain a six-stroke lead, only to falter again with bogeys on Nos. 12, 16 and 18.

“It goes probably 250 yards but the wind was howling from the left side but it was also helping quite a bit,” said Tabuena of his eagle feat off a 3-hybrid. “I executed it perfectly and left myself with an easy bunker shot. But I didn’t expect to hole it.”

Despite Tabuena’s lead, the championship could head towards an unpredictable and thrilling finish as conditions are expected to intensify in the final two days of the 72-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by Kampfortis Golf, the official apparel of the PGTI.

“We’re pretty used to the winds here, it’s normal and we didn’t expect anything less,” said Tabuena, who unlike several other players, however, didn’t make any adjustments in blustery conditions.

“No, I didn’t change any clubs, the change was in the direction of the tee, in hitting the kind of shots I’d like to hit. But I didn’t change – equipment-wise,” he stressed. "But I was overthinking the wind quite a bit. That’s probably the only reason I struggled. But they were exactly the kind of shots that I wanted to hit. Maybe, I wasn’t as sharp with the calculations with the wind.”