Lascuña, Ababa lead advance of top seeds; Jahns bombs out
Antonio Lascuña, the relatively short-hitting defending champion who isn’t giving himself much of a chance to repeat, on Tuesday demolished young Gab Manotoc, 5&4, to advance to the second round of the ICTSI The Country Club Match Play Invitational that was stirred up by Elmer Salvador’s upset win.
The 54-year-old Lascuña got out of the gates hard for early control and then showed some short game magic that resulted in five birdies against just a bogey to win with plenty to spare and set a second round match with Zannie Boy Gialon.
Article continues after this advertisement“I just played so well,” Lascuña told the Inquirer in Filipino as he didn’t mince words praising Manotoc for his length. “I think I just was able to minimize my mistakes and capitalize on the breaks I had scrambling.”
Salvador, meanwhile, showed Keanu Jahns, last year’s runner-up, the door with a 4&3 win highlighted by a four-hole win in a seven-hole stretch from No. 8 of the windswept TCC layout that took the fight out of the long-hitting Filipino-German.
Jonel Ababa, the top seed, Miguel Tabuena, Justin Quiban, Angelo Que and Rupert Zaragosa also bundled out separate foes to advance, with Ababa took out Ferdie Aunzo with ease, 3&2, with Tabuena showing LJ Go the door with a 3&2 decision.
Article continues after this advertisement“I don’t know how I won that one,” Salvador, who came out of semiretirement this year, said in Filipino.
Zaragosa bundled out the veteran Mars Pucay 3&2 to set up a second round clash with Tabuena, who is running No. 2 in the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit race.
Que, meanwhile, ripped Korean Min Seong Kim with an early burst, going 3-up after six holes and then coasting to a 7&5 triumph. INQ