Juvic Pagunsan targets record PGT run at Riviera

MANILA, Philippines — Juvic Pagunsan returns to the scene of his last Philippine Golf Tour Asia victory, headlining a crack international roster in the rich ICTSI Riviera Classic unfolding Wednesday at the hazard-laden Langer course in Silang, Cavite.

Pagunsan will not only try to cash in his knowledge of the layout where he reigned as PGT Asia champ last March but also the momentum of a three-leg romp in the Visayas swing of PGT last June where he won the Bacolod, Negros and Iloilo legs to likewise wrest control in the race for the PGT Order of Merit.

But the long break could pave the way for a wide-open battle for top honors in the P2.5-million championship sponsored by ICTSI with the cream of the crop, led by reigning Order of Merit champion Jobim Carlos, plus a slew of foreign aces, including Cebu leg titlist and Manila-based Guido Van der Valk of the Netherlands, eager and ready to foil Pagunsan’s drive for a record PGT run.

The region’s former No. 1 is seeking to make it back-to-back at Riviera this year following his breakthrough victory on PGT Asia last March where he beat Angelo Que by seven. But extending his PGT run won’t come easy for the smooth-swinging Negrense given the depth of the competing field that is also priming up for a four-leg Mindanao joust next month.