Jhonnel Ababa fave as BDO-Cangolf tilt tees off

The P1-MILLION BDO Canlubang Golf Invitational presented by ICTSI unfolds today with Jhonnel Ababa out to fuel his drive for this year’s Order of Merit crown with a victory at Canlubang Golf and Country Club’s south course in Laguna.

With second-running Elmer Salvador opting to compete in the Singapore Open also slated this week along with the other big guns of the local tour, Ababa is the only player with a chance to foil front-running but suspended Juvic Pagunsan’s bid for the coveted crown.

With P1.01 million in earnings, Salvador trails Pagunsan by more than P400,000 while Ababa is more than P500,000 behind with P976,956. But a sweep of the last two legs, including the P2.5-million ICTSI Wack Wack Championship, will foil Pagunsan’s bid.

The 24-year-old Ababa has won two of the last three legs of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

The tournament is backed by MJ Carr Golf Management Inc. Srixon, Callaway, Unilab, Titleist, Sharp, Custom Clubmakers, Mizuno, PinoyGolfer.com, Inquirer Golf, A Round of Golf, Studio 23, Balls, and Dynamic Sports.

Meanwhile, Michael Bibat powered his team composed of Colo Ventosa, Mia Santos and Ikuko Kito to victory in the pro-am tournament as they pooled a 54.