LUISITA – Argentina’s Franco Scorzato signed for eight birdies in a six-under-par 66 on a humid Thursday to seize a one-shot lead over Japan’s Naoki Sekito and Taiwanese Su Ching-Hung at the halfway mark of the $100,000 Bingo Plus Philippine ADT Open at a Luisita layout here that has been at the mercy of the talented field.

Scorzato had two bogeys for the second straight round, but that still wasn’t enough to stop the 23-year-old from grabbing control at 134 even as Sean Ramos was left as the best-placed Filipino running five shots behind after a 71, with Angelo Que another shot back in an eight-man group that also has local bets Rupert Zaragosa and the amateur Shinichi Suzuki.

With some experience playing in the PGA’s Latino American circuit, Scorzato takes a lot of momentum into the veritable moving day as he tries to establish a more comfortable buffer against a chasing pack made up of eight players who are within four shots of his lead.

Macao’s Kelvin Si submitted a 70 to be at 136, with the United States’ Brent Ito assembling a 67 to catch Australia’s Darcy Brereton and Thailand’s Suttinon Panyo, who both fired 70s, at 137.

The highest-ranked Filipino in the ADT Order of Merit, Ramos was working on a two-under card after hole No. 12 before disaster in the form of two straight bogeys struck. He needed to pick up a shot on the par-5 16th and par the tough 17th and 18th to salvage a sub-par card for the second straight round.

Suzuki, meanwhile, got it to eight-under for the tournament after his first nine, which he finished in 32 after four birdies.

Admitting that he got to playing ahead of himself after that, the 18-year-old many-time Philippine Team member limped home with a 40 to find himself six down after starting the day just four shots behind overnight leader Thomas Plumb of England.

“It’s a pretty disappointing way to finish a round,” the 6-foot-3 Suzuki, who plays out of Manila Southwoods, said. “I kind of slowed down a bit, felt like I didn’t stay in the present in the back nine. I was looking to forward into the future.”

Suzuki bogeyed the par-3 13th and made a big mistake of landing a spinner tee shot on the fringe on the signature 17th hole for a double bogey 5. He also had just over 100 yards for his approach on the 18th where he dropped his last shot.

Que, meanwhile, returned a second straight 70 and likes his chances going into the weekend, even as Plumb, after opening up with a 64, was 10 shots worse and dropped into a four-way tie at 138.

A total of 54 out of the 132 players that teed off on Wednesday advanced, with Keanu Jahns and Jeff Lumbo, who won a combined four legs in the local PGT circuit last year, making the cut on the number at 144 after shooting a 73 and 76, respectively.