Tabuena fires 65, revives Top 40 bid in Asian Tour Q-School

Miguel Tabuena finally overcame his jitters and scored a hot seven-under-par 65 to improve his chances of getting a regular card, while Lucas Lee of Brazil remained in the driver's seat after the third round of the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage at the Springfield Royal Country Club in Hua Hin, Thailand. Tabuena, with pro Rick Gibson of Canada as his caddie, made an eagle to go with six birdies as against a lone bogey. From a share of last place, he jumped to 31st with a 211 total in the event where the Top 40 finishers will join the Asian Tour's upcoming season. It was a big turnaround for Tabuena, the 16th Asian Games' individual silver medalist. The 16-year-old bemedaled junior champion barely made the cut with rounds of 75 and 71, but he is now one round away from earning a spot in the Asian Tour’s 2011 calendar. "I wanted to see how I fared against the other players and see how I can improve my game. I just need to keep doing what I have been doing. It would be great if I could shoot another seven-under tomorrow," said Tabuena, who finished fourth in the recent 94th Philippine Open. The Brazilian Lee kept his lead despite losing ground with a bogey on the 13th where his drive found water. He submitted a 70 for 197, five shots ahead of Scotsman Ross Bain (65-202). Australian Tim Stewart and Pierre-Henri Soero, who hails from the French colony of New Caledonia, shared third place at 204 entering the final stage presented by Sports Authority of Thailand. "I'm going to try and win but this is a tournament and getting first place any time is good. I struggled a bit with the wind so I’m going to try and stay more focused tomorrow (Sunday) and it should be good," the 24-year-old Lee said. – Adrian Flores, JVP, KY, GMANews.TV