BY NOLI CORTEZ

JAPANESE Kodai Ichihara continued to rack up various first in his initial Philippine Open stint.

The squarely-built Ichihara banked on his sizzling putter anew to fire a two-under 70 yesterday, enough to keep him in front of the field after the halfway cut of the 92nd edition of Asia’s oldest golfing championship at Wack Wack’s East course.

Not even the warning posed by defending champion Frankie Minoza, or the more immediate threat from his chasers who included Antonio Lascuna, could ruffle the constantly beaming Ichihara.

The 25-year-old Tokyo native, who started his round at the back nine, had a blistering start when he made four of his five birdies and not even three dropped shots on his last five holes that gave him nines of 38-32 could dampen his spirits.

His 136 total was at least one stroke ahead of the field, giving him his first taste of the lead after two rounds. He will now be on the last flight of a third round also for the very first time and gained a chance to score a breakthrough Asian Tour victory.

All because of his putter that atoned for his often-errant tee shots and shaky iron plays.

"My tee shots no good, many times in (the) rough," said Ichihara, who missed seven fairways and failed to find six greens in regulation. He, however, one-putted nine times, reprising what he did in scoring a first-round 66 Thursday.

Not known for being a long-hitter, Ichihara is bent on utilizing the same game plan, of playing it safe, in the last two days of the $300,000 tournament.

Australian Gavin Flint, among those who played in late flights and battled gusting winds and natural hazards of the 7,053-yard course, birdied four of his last six holes for a 70 that gave him a 137 total, just a stroke behind.

"It’s a nice finish and all because of nice putting," said the 26-year-old Brisbane native, a non-Asian Tour winner like Ichihara and also playing with little pressure. He even has a similar plan.

"The course is great," said Flint, now based in Singapore. "It’s very tricky so you have to play good around here, just targeting the middle of the green."

His compatriot, Ashley Hall, submitted a 71 for 138, just ahead of Chinese-Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang, last week’s Asian Tour International winner in Thailand who surged back into the thick of the fight with an eagle-aided 67, the best for the day.

Lascuna picked up the slack for the Filipinos after a bitter refrain left Benjie Magada with a very bad taste in the mouth.

Magada, who perked up the homegrown bets’ bid with a 67 Thursday, floundered with a 76 that left him seven strokes off the pace.

"Hirap sa putts ngayon, di katulad kahapon. At saka pagkatapos ng (three-putt) double-bogey sa 11th nag-iba ang laro," said Magada.

Lascuna managed four birdies against two bogeys for 70 and 141, which he claimed could have been so much better if not for his running run-in with his caddie whom he claimed was too overzealous in trying to help him.

"Pero nagkausap na kami at okay na kami," he said.

The likes of Angelo Que and Jay Bayron (71-144), Juvic Pagunsan (71-145), former champion Gerald Rosales (72-147) and former caddie Jonel Ababa, who fired a 77 for 148 and the lone amateur standing, are among the Filipinos who survived the halfway cut pegged at six-over 144 which a total 61 met.