Tony Lascuña hopes to blast the opposition with his A-game off the mound, on the fairways and around the greens. (Photo by Joven Cagande)

Tony Lascuña had the tough Wack Wack East all figured out – hit the right spots.

He did just that yesterday, hitting the target in a nine-hole stretch from No. 3 to produce six birdies before slowing down with a run of pars for a 67 and a one-stroke lead over Elmer Salvador halfway through the P3.5 million ICTSI Tournament Players Championship.

“I had a good run from No. 3. Every approach shot landed to spots where I wanted them, where I knew I could sink a birdie,” said Lascuna. “That’s the key to scoring here at the East, hitting the right spots.”

He actually turned a fumbling start into a scorching finish, bucking a bogey mishap on No. 1 with birdies on Nos. 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9 inside six feet then capped his lead-grabbing card with a 40-footer on No. 11, putting him on a familiar place at six-under 138 but against a familiar rival – Salvador.

“Since this is the last leg, I might as well take it,” said Lascuña, who earlier vowed to win it all despite needing just a fourth place finish this week to claim the Order of Merit title of this year’s ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour.

Teeing off at the backside of the tough layout, Salvador also knocked down superb approach shots in drizzle that netted him five birdies, including a highlight sidehill, downhill putt from 25 feet, also on No. 11. But the recent Splendido Taal leg winner stumbled with a couple of bogeys and made a 69 but stayed in the hunt for a second crown in the last three legs of the circuit sponsored by ICTSI at 139.

“It’s hard to say,” said Salvador when asked of his chances against Lascuña with the next three of the rest of the surviving 46-player field dropping four strokes off the new leader, including erstwhile pacesetter Fredrick Park of Australia.

With OOM rivals No, 2 Clyde Mondilla and No. 3 Jay Bayron failing to mount their charge and fell way behind with over par rounds, Lascuña moved 36 holes away from winning his fourth OOM title in the last five years.

Elmer Salvador reacts after sinking a long birdie putt on No. 4. (Photo by Joven Cagande)

Mondilla, the three-leg winner, hobbled with a 75 and slid to joint 14th at 147, while two-leg winner Bayron hardly recovered from a disastrous 78 Wednesday with a 73 and barely made the cut at 151 in the event backed by Custom Clubmakers, adidas, KZG, Summit Mineral Water, Srixon, Pacsports, TaylorMade, Sharp, Champion, Ping and Yamaha.

Park, who sneaked into the lead with a late eagle-spiked 69 Wednesday, fumbled at the backside this time, making three bogeys and blowing a one-under frontside score to finish with a 73. The rookie Aussie pro slid to joint third but remained in the hunt at 142.

“I had a great first round. I was hoping to duplicate it but I missed several birdie putts from close range. I’ll try again tomorrow (today),” said Park.

Micah Shin rallied with two birdies in the last four holes at the front to fire a 70 as the young American, who thwarted Lascuña to score a breakthrough win at Central Azucarera de Tarlac Open in Luisita last weekend, joined Park at 142 together with Toru Nakajima.

The Japanese also leaned on a solid finish of two birdies in the last three holes at the back to card a 69 and bounce back into contention with 36 holes left on a course he won his first PGT crown in 2013. He joins Lascuña and Salvador in the today’s featured flight at 7:45 a.m.

The rest stood five shots or farther behind with unheralded Randy Garalde matching par to move to solo sixth at 143 and Jerson Balasabas coming back strong from a 77 with a 67 to a 144.

But no lead is safe at Wack Wack East with Cassius Casas, who also knows what it takes to win here, having won the all-local Phl Open in 2001, pooling a 145 after a 74 in a tie with Nilo Salahog, who also shot a 72, while Japanese Miki Ryoma fought back with a 70 to join Jhonnel Ababa (74), Mars Pucay (73) and Robert Pactolerin (73) at 10th at 146.

Frankie Minoza, who turned in an impressive opening 70, limped with a 78 and dropped to joint 19th at 148.