Big paycheck for Juvic Pagunsan

SINGAPORE—Juvic Pagunsan assured himself of the single biggest paycheck by a Filipino golf pro after he forged a playoff with Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano Sunday for the championship of the Barclays Singapore Open.

The sure second-place finish guarantees Pagunsan $666,660 (about P28.8 million) and he could even win $1 million if he prevails in the playoff, which was moved to 7:30 a.m. Monday.

Forced to ply his trade on the Asian Tour after his recent suspension from the local circuit, Pagunsan capped his brilliant form in the $6-million tournament, shortened by inclement weather to 54 holes, with a 4-under-par 67 to finish at 270.

Fernandez-Castano, who led Pagunsan by five strokes after two rounds, struggled on the back nine and had to par the 18th after driving into the water to post a 72 and tie the Filipino for top spot.

Irrespective of what happens in the playoff, Pagunsan will take over the top spot of the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit with current leader SSP Chowrasia, who leads the merit race with $444,528 missing the halfway cut like the next three players behind him—Tetsuji Hiratsuka, David Gleeson and Siddikur.

Pagunsan and Castano had actually started their playoff on the par-5 18th of Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course but officials called it off before they could hit their third shots due to the threat of lightning.

The 33-year-old former caddy from Bacolod, who tied for ninth place last week in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, opened with back-to-back 5-under-par 66s in Asia’s richest national championship, which is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour.

Plagued with weather delays, officials decided to reduce the tournament to 54 holes when the third round was washed out Saturday after the Spaniard had taken the second-round lead at 15-under 127 by shooting a 61.

Pagunsan started with a chip-in birdie to kick off his last-round charge, added a two-putt birdie on No. 4 then went three under with another birdie on the seventh.

He missed the green for a bogey on No. 8 but rattled in six straight pars before he birdied the 15th and 18th holes.

Fernandez-Castano, a four-time winner on the European Tour but not since 2008, wobbled on the back nine to throw away his lead with bogeys on 12, 14 and 15 but showed tremendous courage with vital par putts on the 15th and 18th holes.

When Pagunsan birdied the closing hole in front of the huge gallery, the Spaniard hit his drive into the water but saved par, holing an 18-foot putt to force the playoff.

Angelo Que, the perennial Filipino top finisher in the Order of Merit, also shot a 67 in the final round and tied for 19th at 206.

But Jay Bayron and Elmer Salvador, who made the 36-hole cut with Que at 3-under, lost their touch, shooting 77 and 79, respectively.

Currently 53rd on the Order of Merit with earnings of $54,638, the sweet-swinging Filipino also finished sixth in the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic in September.

If he pulls off a victory, Pagunsan will become the first Filipino to win a cosanctioned European Tour event. And if he ends up with the Merit title, Pagunsan gets an outright berth in golf’s four Majors next year.

Despite his suspension from the Philippine Golf Tour for walking out of an Asian Development tournament in Cebu, Pagunsan remained the Order of Merit leader with one leg left in the schedule.