ICTSI Tour resumes at Eagle Ridge today

ELMER Salvador guns for back-to-back wins when the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Invitational gets off the ground today at the Faldo course of the vast golf complex  in Trece Martirez, Cavite.

Fresh from conquering basically the same field two weeks ago at nearby Sherwood Hills, Salvador sets out as the prohibitive favorite in the P1-million tournament.

Asian Tour veterans Antonio Lascuña, Jonel Ababa and Artemio Murakami head the list of challengers as they seek their first victories for the year.

Lascuña, in fact, is seeking an elusive breakthrough triumph in the four-year-old circuit.

The event is a prelude to the novel North vs South duel scheduled at the end of the month at the exclusive Alabang Golf Club inside Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa.

Rookie Charles Hong, a protégé of Frankie Miñoza’s coach Roger Retuerto, skippers the South squad which will be bannered mostly by products of Apo Golf in Davao led by Lascuña, Jay Bayron and former Philippine Open champions Cassius Casas and Salvador.

Cookie La’O captains the North, which will have as nucleus Angelo Que, Murakami and exciting rookie Miguel Tabuena.

The North vs South duel is a Ryder Cup-style event featuring the top 24 performers based on last year’s Order of Merit race.

Mars Pucay, Gerald Rosales, Jun Bernis, Benjie Magada, Gene Bondoc, Michael Bibat, Randy Garalde and Carl Santos-Ocampo round out the North squad.

Last year’s Player of the Year Ababa, Marvin Dumandan, Mark Fernando, Anthony Fernando, Elmer Saban, Richard Sinfuego, Ferdie Aunzo and Rufino Bayron complete the South roster.