Red-hot Lascuña heads Filipinos’ bid

The country’s brightest stars will be trying to keep the Aboitiz Invitational crown on local soil against a crack foreign field as the $100,000 Asian Development Tour event tees off Wednesday at Southwoods’  Legends layout.

Antonio Lascuña will have all the momentum going into the 72-hole championship as he shoots for a third straight victory on a course he knows like the back of his hands.

Juvic Pagunsan will be playing just his second tournament after patching things up with the local circuit and the 37-year-old looms as one of the favorites if only because of his sheer length off the tee.

Frankie Miñoza will also be there, together with Miguel Tabuena, the Order of Merit leader invigorated by a much-needed vacation in the United States.

“Just looking at the field of competitors makes me uncomfortable,” Lascuña, a Southwoods member, said.

Filipinos have won the first four editions of the annual event, with Jay Bayron prevailing in 2011 in Cebu, Elmer Salvador ruling the next two editions and Lascuña topping last year’s tournament at the Couples layout of Riviera in Silang, Cavite.

Angelo Que begged off to rest after campaigning abroad in the recent past.