Fernando seeks to relive ICTSI Riviera glory

Mhark Fernando hopes to re-acquaint himself with Riviera’s dreaded Langer layout where he won a pro title as an amateur two years ago as he joins the title hunt in the ICTSI Riviera Classic which gets going Wednesday (Sept. 14). Fernando, then spearhead of the national squad, survived the harsh playing condition and humbled the star-studded pro field to win in Sept. 2009, beating Ferdie Aunzo, Richard Sinfuego and Edwin Sanchez by three. He topped the Phl team elims, also at Langer, one month later to underscore his mastery of the up-and-down par-71 course. With a confidence boosted by his breakthrough victory as a pro at ICTSI Del Monte Championship last month, Fernando looms as one of the players to beat in the 54-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, inc. But the soft-spoken ace shotmaker opted to downplay his chances in the P1 million event serving as the 11th leg of the 16-stage ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour. “It’s always an anybody’s race when you play Riviera. But I like my chances although everybody can win there,” said Fernando. “It will depend on one’s form and the condition of the course.” Marvin Dumandan is the other player to watch in the event with last year’s three-leg winner, the former club pro, hoping to re-flash his familiarity with the hazard-laden layout, which changes in character in every twirl of the wind. Meanwhile, Fernando and Dumandan and the other leading pros get the chance to test the course as they play in the traditional pro-am tournament today (Tuesday) along with the guests and officials of the event’s chief backers, including MJ Carr Golf Management, Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Unilab, BDO, Titleist, Sharp, Custom Clubmakers, Mizuno, PinoyGolfer.com, Inquirer Golf, Omnisource International, A Round of Golf, Studio 23, Balls, and Dynamic Sports. With the most feared player on the tour out for the rest of the season, the chase for the top P200,000 purse turns into anybody’s race with Jay Bayron also fancied to crowd Fernando and Dumandan for this week’s crown. Juvic Pagunsan, winner of four of the tour’s first 10 legs and the runaway leader in the Order of the Merit race, was suspended for the rest of the season for breach of PGTI (Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.) rules on players’ conduct, sending the battle for the OOM crown into a wide-open affair. Bayron, who frustrated Pagunsan with a final leg win at ICTSI Canlubang to snatch the OOM crown last year, now has P883,994 earnings, still way behind Pagunsan’s P1,474,604 winnings but confident of catching up with six more legs left in the circuit. Others tipped to figure in the title chase in the title hunt are leg winners Jhonnel Ababa (Iloilo) and Robert Pactolerin (Bacolod), Cassius Casas, Anthony Fernando and brother Rufino Bayron and Jerson Balasabas and Dutch Guido Van der Valk and Aunzo. Meanwhile, Elmer Salvador is just behind Bayron in the OOM race with P812,019 followed by Tony Lascuna (P764,219), Ababa (P561,456), Dumandan (P506,632), Mhark Fernando (P395,864), Casas (P314,254), Rufino Bayron (P311,654) and Anthony Fernando (P311,205).(pr)