SILANG, Cavite, Philippines — Juvic Pagunsan is back to hunt for a first Philippine Golf Tour Asia crown, so does fellow Japan PGA Tour campaigner Angelo Que. With Jobim Carlos out to mark his rise to No. 1 with a repeat win and a mix of foreign aces ready to stop the locals’ surge, all point to a spirited start to the ICTSI Riviera Golf Challenge today here.
Pagunsan actually won in his return stint on the local tour, edging Carlos in a playoff in Bacolod last year. But this is the first time that Asia’s former No. 1 is bidding in PGT Asia and observers note that his game best suits in a kind of exacting course as the par-71 Langer layout.
But the smooth-swinging ace will be up against a slew of equally-talented rivals, led by Que, who hopes to ride the momentum of his strong finish in last Sunday’s Maybank Championship where he shot a 66 to finish tied at 25th.
Carlos, 26, is also going all out to prove his worth again. He beat Tony Lascuña by two here last year, a breakthrough that sparked his run of impressive finishes, including two more victories that netted him the OOM title at the end of the PGT season.
Jhonnel Ababa, the winningest player in the circuit with three victories, is likewise tipped to contend along with Clyde Mondilla, Jay Bayron and title-hungry Tony Lascuña along with Phl Masters champion Jerson Balasabas, PGTA CAT Open titlist James Ryan Lam and PGTA Summit Point victor Joenard Rates and young guns Ira Alido, Keanu Jahns and Justin Quiban.