INQUIRER Sports

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia -- Filipino Mars Pucay is looking forward to the Fortis International Challenge next week at a venue which has brought him team success in the past.

Pucay, who is enjoying a welcome return to form this season, will pair up with Philippine Open champion Angelo Que for the first time to bid for a place in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China in November.

A total of 19 teams will feature in the Challenge at the Kota Permai Golf and Country Club from September 18-21 and the top three nations will qualify for the World Cup.

Que will be making his first appearance in the qualifiers but Pucay has made the grade in the team competition, partnering Felix Casas for a third-place finish in Kota Permai in 1999.

“I am looking forward to returning to Kota Permai as I have played in a few tournaments there in the past. We are determined to make it through that week,” said Pucay.

The 38-year-old has enjoyed three top-10’s on the Asian Tour this season, including a third-place finish in the recent Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational. With Que in good form as well, the Filipino duo plan to emulate the successful campaign by Antonio Lascuna and Gerald Rosales last year.

“It’s great to partner Angelo this year. He hits it long and I’m looking forward to our partnership,” said Pucay. “My iron game is coming together now and while I can’t strike it that far, we will try to take advantage of each other’s strength for a solid all-round game.”

With fourball (better ball) being played in the first and third rounds and foursomes (alternate shot) used in the second and final rounds, Pucay knows that the key to a successful qualifying campaign will be in their ability to play well in the foursomes.

“In the foursomes, we have to stay patient and avoid rushing our game, which is very common,” he said.

Apart from the Filipino pair, Malaysia’s Danny Chia and Iain Steel, Singapore’s Mardan Mamat and Lam Chih Bing, South Korea’s Bae Sang-moon and Kim Hyung-tae and Italy’s Edoardo and Francesco Molinari are tipped to battle it out for the three tickets to the World Cup. The Star-ANN