Jonel Ababa eyes back-to-back ICTSI Tour victory at Apo

MANILA—Rookie Jonel Ababa, like the veteran Juvic Pagunsan, will be shooting for a piece of ICTSI Tour history when the Apo Golf Invitational tees off tomorrow at the unforgiving, tree-lined layout in Davao.

Three weeks after a breakthrough come-from-behind win in Iloilo, the pint-sized Ababa will be shooting to win back-to-back legs on a course he once called home.

Pagunsan, who like the other big guns were absent when Ababa nipped Jay Bayron in a playoff at Sta. Barbara, is most comfortable at Apo—an old course that demands a lot of guile and length off most tees.

The Apo leg will feature a star-studded field that includes Angelo Que and Frankie Miñoza who are both making comebacks after a four-leg absence in the P1-million event.

Former Philippine Open champions Elmer Salvador, Artemio Murakami, Cassius Casas and Robert Pactolerin, Mars Pucay and Ferdie Aunzo are also on the roster.

The field gets its final chance to sample the layout with the traditional pro-am today.

Ababa pocketed P200,000 in Iloilo and climbed to No. 4 in the Order of Merit race which Pagunsan comfortably leads with earnings of more than P1.1 million built around three victories.

Ababa, a former caddy at Apo, has more than P400,000 in winnings, trailing Antonio Lascuña (P508,144) and Elmer Salvador (P453,244) in the OOM.

MJ Carr Golf Management Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Unilab, BDO, Titleist, Sharp, Custom Clubmakers, Empire Golf & Sports Shop, PinoyGolfer.com, Inquirer Golf, Omnisource International, A Round of Golf, Studio 23, Balls, and Dynamic Sports are the other backers of the event.