Justin Quiban single-handedly carried the torch for an embattled Philippine contingent on Friday (Saturday Manila time), unleashing a spectacular eagle-birdie finish to card a five-under 68 and vault himself squarely into contention halfway through the $2-million International Series Morocco.
After an opening-round 73 left him playing catch-up, Quiban refused to back down. Despite an early misstep on his opening hole, the Filipino ace quickly found his rhythm, torching the front nine with a three-birdie blitz across four holes starting from No. 5.
While a frustrating three-putt bogey on the 16th threatened to erase the momentum of a birdie on No. 12, Quiban answered with the signature moment of the tournament. On the par-4 17th, he executed a breathtaking pitch-in for eagle, before capping off his domination of the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s grueling Red Course’s long holes with a closing birdie on the par-5 18th.
That scorching finish secured a pair of 34s, giving him a 36-hole total of 141. Now sitting in a share of 19th place, Quiban has transformed himself from an afterthought into a genuine dark horse, poised to gatecrash the weekend party of the tournament favorites.
Quiban’s big turnaround was fueled by elite accuracy. The Filipino ace missed just two fairways the entire day and hit 16 greens in regulation, needing only 29 putts to dismantle the par-73 layout.
Quiban will head into the weekend six strokes off the pace, chasing a star-studded lead group.
Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson flashed his world-class pedigree, sizzling with an eight-birdie 66 to post an 11-under-par 135 total. He joined Pavit Tangkamolprasert at the helm after the Thai ace followed up his opening 65 with a steady 70.
But lurking just one shot back is South Korea’s Younghan Song (69, 136), while a formidable trio consisting of Scott Vincent (67), Taichi Kho (69), and Travis Smyth (70) sit tied for fourth at 137, setting the stage for a high-stakes weekend shootout.
While Quiban soared, it was a day of survival and heartbreak for the rest of the Filipino contingent.
Carl Corpus showed tremendous grit, scrambling to an even-par 72 to squeeze inside the weekend cutline right on the number at 145.
But Miguel Tabuena, despite putting up a valiant fight to recover from a disastrous 39 on his opening nine with closing with back-to-back birdies, his 73 left him just one stroke short of the weekend at 146.
Lloyd Go also faltered, signing for a disappointing 76 to finish well outside the cutline at 150.
With the field narrowed, the spotlight now shines brightly on Quiban, a Philippine Golf Tour standout. If he can replicate Friday’s fiery ball-striking, the leaderboard’s heavy hitters might just find an uninvited Filipino guest disrupting their weekend plans.