Angelo Que saved the third round for Filipinos Saturday after taking over the leaderboard of the Philippine Open, Asia’s oldest golf tournament, by firing a 6-under-par 66, just one shot ahead of round one and round two leader Kodai Ichihara of Japan.

Que putted his way to the top after ending up in the 10th place last Friday, firing an eagle on the 4th hole and six birdies in the other holes in the US$300,000 Asian Tour event.

Japan’s Ichihara fired a 75 Saturday to end up second after dominating the first two rounds while Australia’s Gavin Flint fired a 75 to end the round in the third spot with 4-under aggregate 212.   

Que’s compatrito Antonio Lascuna ended up sharing the fourth spot with Singapore’s Mardan Mamat and South Korea’s Young Nam after posting garnering a 3-under aggregate 213.

The 2008 Philippine Open returns to the renowned Wack Wack Golf and Country Club from April 3-6. The main sponsors include the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Philippine Airlines and Stradcom. The US$300,000 Asian Tour event is also backed by Crowne Plaza Galleria (Official Hotel), Johnnie Walker, 100 Plus (Official Sports Drink), Srixon (Official Ball) and Pin High (Official Apparel).

It is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and National Golf Association of Philippines and supported by the Philippine Department of Tourism. The Philippine Open 2008 will include a one-hour highlights show while the Asian Tour Weekly Magazine show will also capture the excitement of the event over ESPN Star Sports.