Lascuna seeks first title in final Tour leg

MANILA, Philippines - Playoff loser twice around, Tony Lascuna tries to nail the elusive win on the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour as he joins the title hunt in the P1 million ICTSI Tour Championship firing off tomorrow at the north course of the Canlubang Golf and Country Club in Laguna.

Lascuna lost in a three-hole playoff to Benjie Magada at ICTSI-Orchard then bowed to three-leg winner Marvin Dumandan in the second sudden death hole at ICTSI-Royal Northwoods to remain winless heading into the final leg of the 13-stage circuit at Cangolf.

“This is my last chance so I hope to make it this time,” said Lascuna.

The venue could also be to his liking, the par-72 layout being his home course where he honed his talent and skills although it was at the adjacent south layout where he once shot 11 straight birdies at the back en route to a 61 in a practice round.

But he will be challenged by a field teeming with talent, including Artemio Murakami and Jay Bayron, who skipped the last two legs to play on the Asian Tour but are back in the fold, making the chase for the top P200,000 purse in the 54-hole tournament organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. a wide open one.

Dumandan, for one, is raring to complete a sort of grand slam after winning the last two legs with the power-hitting Davaoeño, who also topped the ICTSI-Sherwood leg last March, seeking no less than the Order of Merit crown.

With Merit frontrunner Juvic Pagunsan opting to play on the Asian Tour this week, Dumandan, who jumped from No. 11 to No. 3 in the ranking, could snatch the OOM title with a victory together with the second running Bayron.

The event, sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc., also marks the pro debut of Jhonnel Ababa, the former amateur hotshot and former winner of the Canlubang Amateur Open.

Meanwhile, the traditional pro-am will be held today with the leading pros teaming up with the invited amateur guests from the chief backers of the event.

Miguel Tabuena, on the other hand, heads the 21-amateur cast competing in the event, his first after winning the silver medal in the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China last Saturday.

Also in the fold are Asiad veteran Jerson Balasabas, and ICTSI members Dante Becierra, Carl Santos-Ocampo and Charles Hong, and fellow ICTSI-Cangolf mainstays Jobim Carlos and Junior World champion Rupert Saragoza.

The event is backed by MJ Carr Golf Management, Jaguar, Land Rover, Studio 23, Balls TV, Srixon/Cleveland Golf, Callaway Golf and Odyssey and media partners BusinessMirror, Inquirer Golf Monthly, A Round of Golf, Pinoygolfer.com and Omnisource.