The classy shotmaker from Bacolod gunned down clutch putts in his last four holes while Dumandan stumbled on a three-putt bogey on the 15th that put a blackeye on a superlative 65 spiked by two eagles.
With earlier rounds of 71 and 66, Pagunsan tallied a nine-under 204. He pocketed another P200,000 to pull away in the Order of Merit race with P850,000 in earnings after just four legs.
“I waited for the opportunity to strike, and grabbed it when it came,” Pagunsan said in Filipino.
Teeing off tied for the lead with Artemio Murakami, Pagunsan had no idea that Dumandan shot a front-nine 32 built around an eagle 2 on No. 2, where he holed a wedge from about 65 yards.
Dumandan, playing in the flight ahead, actually had the lead after the 13th hole, where chipped in from the fringe for an eagle 3, his second.
Murakami, last year’s Philippine Open champion at Valley, closed with a 70 and was caught in third place at 207 by Ferdie Aunzo, who fired a 66, and Arnold Villacencio, who returned a 68.
Villacencio duplicated his career best finish in the Malarayat leg last April.
“I just didn’t hole some putts when I needed to,” Dumandan, who came into the event without the benefit of a practice round, said in Filipino.
Ruben Sasutil fired a 69 and finished at 211 like rookie pro Miguel Tabuena, who submitted a 71.
Rufino Bayron and first-round co-leader Richard Sinfuego both assembled level 71s and wound up tied at 212.
The final scores: 204—J. Pagunsan 71-66-67; 205—M. Dumandan 71-69-65; 207—F. Aunzo 73-68-66, A. Villacencio 67-72-68, A. Murakami 70-67-70; 211—R. Sasutil 68-74-69, M. Tabuena 70-70-71; 212—R. Bayron 69-72-71, R. Sinfuego 67-74-71; 213—G. Bondoc 73-71-69, R. Garalde 71-73-69, Rob Pactolerin 72-71-70, E. Salvador 71-70-72, J. Ababa 71-69-73; 214—M. Bibat 72-70-72; 215—B. Magada 73-72-70; 217—P. San Gabriel 72-75-70, D. Becierra 70-74-73; 218—C. Villaroman 73-72-73; 219—A. Asistio III 72-73-74