Elmer Salvador joins P3-M Sherwood hunt

MANILA, Philippines — Elmer Salvador made an 11th-hour decision to play in the ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic starting Wednesday, giving the P3-million event another favorite because of the absence of the Tour’s other big guns at the well-manicured layout in Cavite.

The former Philippine Open winner decided to play here instead of joining Angelo Que, Antonio Lascuña and two others at the Indonesian Masters and will be seeking to end a nine-month title drought.

Miguel Tabuena and Cassius Casas are the others playing in Indonesia starting Thursday.

“There are still a lot of good players left in the field, and it’s still a wide-open race,” Salvador said in Filipino.

Jay Bayron and Joenard Rates will be seeking to win for the second time this season, though the big hitters have the advantage over the windswept layout, especially if the winds blow hard.

Marvin Dumandan, with the absence of Que, and Orlan Sumcad, are the longest hitters in the field, with Dumandan also owning a championship at Sherwood, having triumphed here three years ago.