Eagle-spiked 68 nets Nakajima PGT Q-School honors

MANILA, Philippines – Japanese Toru Nakajima battled back from three strokes down and snatched the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour Foreign Qualifying School top honors with an eagle-spiked, bogey-free four-under 68 at the Royal Northwoods Golf and Country Club in San Rafael, Bulacan yesterday.

Nakajima eagled the par-5 opening hole then gunned down two more birdies at the back to turn in a pair of 34s for a 10-under 278 total, edging Kevin Marques of Australia by one in the 72-hole elims organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., which offered 15 berths for this year’s ICTSI PGT firing off next week at Anvaya Cove in Bataan.

Marques also fought back with a 33 at the back for a 68 and finished second at 279 while erstwhile leader Seok Jun Min wavered at the finish and limped with a 73 to slide to third at 280.

Nakajima has won on the ICTSI PGT in 2013 when he nipped Jay Bayron in the playoff to cop the Wack Wack Championship but lost his card with poor finishes in the succeeding seasons of the country’s premier golf circuit.

Seok actually held on to his three-shot lead at the turn as he matched Nakajima’s 34 but the Korean crumbled under pressure and bogeyed four of the last five holes.

Still, he made it to the circuit proper, along with 12 others, including American John Jackson, who placed fourth with a 281 after a 69; Aussie Nelson Turner and Sam Ayotte of the US, who shot identical 70s, Canadian Rick Gibson and Korean Park Jun Hyeok, who carded similar 71s, for 284s; and Korean amateur Kim In Jae, who matched par 72 for a 286.

Aussie Nathan Park hobbled with a 75 for a 287 for 10th; while Park Sung Yong of Australia (70), Korean Park Jun Song (73) and Japanese (73) ended up with 289s; and Koreans Park Min Ung and Hwang Kang Youl took the last two spots at 290s after a 75 and 77, respectively. Those who finished 16th-25th will get conditional status.

The ICTSI PGT new season gets going on Feb. 10 with the P3.5 million Anvaya Cove Invitational with Miguel Tabuena, Angelo Que, Tony Lascuña, Cassius Casas, Elmer Salvador, Mars Pucay and Bayron heading the elite cast.