Pagunsan paces Southwoods Pro-Am

MANILA, Philippines — Juvic Pagunsan fell a stroke short of the course record with a superb eight-under-par 64 ushering him to a four-stroke lead after the first round of the P1 million Southwoods Pro-Am Invitational at the Masters course of the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite.

On a break from his Japan Tour campaign, the 44-year-old former Asian Tour champion and Tokyo 2020 Olympian assembled an eye-popping round of an eagle and seven birdies against a lone bogey on a cloudy day that carried him four strokes ahead of Jhonnel Ababa and Albin Engino who checked in with similar 68s.

Fidel Concepcion and Justin Quiban, coming off a stint in the Asian Development Tour in Indonesia last week, checked in with 69s to join the steady Dino Villanueva in fourth place while the group at 70 was composed of Mike Bibat, Anthony Fernando, Reymon Jaraula and Gerald Rosales.

Jobim Carlos broke out of a long scoring slump to shoot a 71 like Ira Alido with the duo finishing a stroke ahead of Frankie Miñoza, Joenard Rates and Orland Sumcad who all wound up with 72s.

Pagunsan was all business at the dreaded Masters course, hitting the turn with a 33 after a birdie at the par-5 eighth then a hole-out eagle on the island-green of the signature ninth hole.

He started his homeward trip with birdies on the 10th and 12th, before unloading another barrage of birdies on 15th, 16th and 18th.

He came a stroke shy of matching the 63 course mark jointly shared by Prom Meesawat (2014) and Sattaya Supupramai (2016) set in different years of the now defunct Resorts World Manila Masters.

Pagunsan’s team also made up of outgoing Senate President Tito Sotto, his brother Maru and Bing Lapus set the pace by two over Jhonnel Ababa and amateur teammates Jude Eustaquio, Jet Mathay and Miguel Ochoa in the low gross competition of the 36-hole Pro-Am side-event

Ababa and his teammates, however, were tied for the lead with Ivan Monsalve and amateur backups Oliver and Francesca Gan and Gab Manotoc in Division 1 of the net competition Rupert Zaragosa and amateur teammates Bobby Inigo, Carlito Javier and Ferdie Dimaisip were up by three over the Pagunsan-led team with a net 54 in Division 2

The hole sponsors of the Southwoods Pro-Am are Agrexplore Corp., The Turf Company, MRT Dev

Co., Peugeot through Barrhorn Motors, Inc., Asia Global Technologies,The Manor and the Forest Lodge at Camp John Hay, Klio International,Peugeot, Januarius Holdings, Malveda Properties & Dev’t

Corp., MRT Dev Co, Scaffel Volvo through Pike Motors, Inc and Coca Cola Beverages Phils., Inc

Bronze sponsors include Time Cargo Logistics, RFM Corp., PBR Law Offices,, Smart Probe, Inc., Sherwood Hills Golf Club, Forest Hills Golf & Country Club, Peugeot, Escala Tagaytay, Eyelectric, Inc., Camp John Hay Golf Club, Hydrotech Irrigation & General Services, Federal Management & Maintenance Inc., FEMI, CLTPSJ Law Offices, Le Chef and Camaya Coast

Monster Energy Drink is hole-in-one sponsor.