Sawt Falasteen - Ace Tabuena lights up home course as Sarit leads in Philippines

The in-form Thai Sarit took the tournament by the scruff of the neck on 14-under par after adding a superb second-round 66 to his opening 64.

"I've just tried to stay calm and focus on what I have to do," Sarit said after carding seven birdies against only one bogey at Sta. Elena Golf Club, south of Manila.

"So far, I've been doing that pretty well. I just hope I can keep the momentum for the next two days -- but you never know what can happen in golf, so we'll see."

Tabuena, playing alongside former world number one Dustin Johnson on his home course, aced the 14th and had his friends and family whooping again two holes later with an eagle three on his way to a seven-under round of 65.

It put Tabuena, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour, into a tie for second on 10-under par with Japan's Kazuki Higa.

"It's not every day you make a hole-in-one. But I was glad I kept it together after that," said the 31-year-old.

"It's been probably six years since my last one and only my second in a competition. It was nice that it was here in front of friends, family and in my home club.

"And then the eagle on the 16th. That was a perfect seven-wood for me. That is my favourite pin position for that hole, so it was a green light for me."

There are four major winners playing this week in the most prestigious tournament ever staged in the Philippines.

The 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed was the best of the bunch after a 66 that took the American to eight-under par and share of eighth. But he wasn't satisfied.

"It was OK," Reed told AFP. "I missed a lot of putts today and didn't hit it particularly amazing.

"Even with a 66 today I felt like I left a lot of shots out there."

Johnson had a one-over 73 to drop him back to four-under par and a share of 40th place.

But 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen will be catching an early flight to Hong Kong for next week's tournament after missing the cut on two-under par with a second successive 71.

Fellow South African Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, is safely in for the weekend at seven-under par after a 66.

Also around for the final two rounds will be one half the internet's favourite golfing brothers, Wesley Bryan, who had a run of four straight birdies from the 14th to card 66 and finish five-under par, comfortably inside the cut line.

Wesley and brother George have 692,000 subscribers to their "Bryan Bros Golf" YouTube channel, and have both played on the US PGA Tour.

But George will be left to direct the videos over the weekend after a 71 left him two outside the cut line of three-under par.

Q.Jaber--SF-PST