Fired-up Juvic Pagunsan seeks fifth ICTSI Tour win

MANILA—Juvic Pagunsan tries to extend his brilliant form in this season’s ICTSI Tour Wednesday when the P1-million Del Monte Challenge tees off at the majestic, tree-lined course inside a vast pineapple plantation in Bukidnon.

With four wins tucked under his belt, including a third straight victory at Apo in Davao last week, Pagunsan’s quest for an unprecedented fifth Tour triumph starts at 11 a.m. on hole No. 1 where he tees off in the company of long-hitting Orlan Sumcad and local amateur Reymon Jaraulla.

The 33-year-old Pagunsan is the odds-on pick to win again, owing to the limited length of the age-old course and considering his fine form going into the event organized by the Pilipinas Golf Tournament, Inc. and sponsored by ICTSI.

But another cakewalk—as he did at Apo—it will not be as the cream of the country’s professional crop, save for Frankie Miñoza, are all seeing action and keen on thwarting the Pagunsan juggernaut.

Angelo Que, Jay Bayron, former Philippine Open champions Artemio Murakami, Cassius Casas, Robert Pactolerin Elmer Salvador—the man who has a sort of axe to grind at Del Monte—will all be there.

Salvador was disqualified in the final round last year and stripped of victory because of a final-hole infraction. And he will be coming into the event seeking redemption more than anything else.

The defending champion Casas, meanwhile, needs a victory to validate his promotion from third place in the aftermath of the final flight’s disqualification.

Meanwhile, Ferdie Aunzo primed up for the championship by leading his team that included Gerry Goking, Cody Goking and Ben Lim to victory with a 53 in the pro-am tournament yesterday, beating Mhark Fernando’s group that included Jun Bella, Maricar Bella and Nixon Lee, which had a 56.

Michael Bibat and teammates Bing Espinosa, Alain Golez and Rey Briiosa pooled a 57 to finish third.
Del Monte will reward precision more than power, with the course being one of the trickiest in the country with its bending fairways, tall roughs and sleek greens.

The long-hitters have the advantage only if they can put their drives in the fairways. There are some par-5s that reward long drives, but those holes can also punish errant drives and yield very high scores.

Miñoza, the greenskeeper’s son who took up the sport at Del Monte, would have been the star attraction of the tournament but the 50-year-old US Champion’s Tour regular had to beg off because of a previous commitment to play in Japan.