Jay Bayron, Elmer Salvador top Aboitiz Invitational threats
Jay Bayron will be chasing a piece of Asian Development Tour golf history starting Wednesday as he joins a crack field in the $100,000 Aboitiz Invitational at the Couples layout of The Riviera in Silang, Cavite.
Only one player in ADT history has won four events and the soft-spoken Bayron will match the feat of Order of Merit leader Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei with a victory.
Bayron knows how to win this event, being the inaugural champion at Cebu Country Club in 2011, when he held off the fancied Juvic Pagunsan in an enthralling final-round shootout.
The winner of the last two editions, Elmer Salvador, is also out to make a record as the first man to win an ADT event for three straight years.
“I hope to have a good week and give myself a chance to win again,” Bayron said.
American Brett Munson and a seasoned contingent from Thailand will try to snatch the title away from a Filipino this year.
Wisut Artjanawat, a former individual champion in the Putra Cup, and Sattaya Supupramai lead the big Thai contingent.
Japan’s Mitsuhiko Hashizume, Englishman Grant Jackson, Ireland’s Niall Turner, Canadian Lindsay Renolds, Aussie Darren Tan and Swede Malcolm Kokocinski are the other notable foreigners in the field.
Meanwhile, the leading pros get the chance to test the par-72 layout in today’s pro-am.
The tournament’s chief backers: Nike Golf, Pacsports Phils. Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Mizuno, Empire Golf, Footjoy, Titleist, Custom Clubmakers, Sharp and KZG and the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.
