Asian Tour: Tabuena rides India momentum to World City Championship lead, as Hong Kong’s Kho sparkles in opening round
- Miguel Tabuena cards seven-under 63 at Hong Kong Golf Club to take one-shot lead after first round
- Hongkonger Taichi Kho’s six-under 64 had given him early clubhouse lead at Fanling course
Taichi Kho got off to a fast start in the World City Championship and kept on going on Thursday, with a largely flawless 64 giving the Hongkonger an early clubhouse lead in the Asian Tour event.
It was the 22-year-old’s best round on Hong Kong Golf Club’s composite course, but it still wasn’t enough to deny Miguel Tabuena, who hasn’t taken his foot off the gas since winning in Delhi five days ago.
Tabuena shot a seven-under-par 63 in Fanling to give himself a one-shot lead, and the Filipino’s bogey at the par-four 16th was his first in 34 holes.
Australian Scott Hend, meanwhile, rattled off a run of three consecutive birdies on his closing three holes to get to five-under, putting him in third ahead of countryman Kevin Yuan, India’s S. Chikkarangappa, Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai and South African Ian Snyman a shot further back.
“I’m riding some momentum from last week, it’s nice to be bogey-free for 34 holes, had an errant tee-shot on 16, but other than that I’m playing great golf,” said Tabuena, who shot a final-round 65 to win the DGC Open on Sunday.
“It’s very early in the week to even think about the finish line, but if I play the way I’m playing I know I’ll give myself a good chance on the back nine on Sunday.”
