Juvic seeks 3rd title at Northwoods

Juvic Pagunsan goes for his third crown in the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour as he

joins the chase for top honors in the P1 million ICTSI Royal Northwoods

Championship firing off Wednesday (Oct. 6) at the Royal Northwoods Golf and

Country Club in San Rafael, Bulacan.

The 31-year-old Pagunsan has confirmed his participation in the 54-hole

tournament while playing in the Taiwan Masters of the Asian Tour, where he

along

with the local tour’s other top guns have been playing while on a break on the

ICTSI-PGT circuit.

That makes him the prohibitive favorite in the 11th leg of the tour, organized

by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., with the smooth-swinging Bacolod native

out

to add this week’s title to his runaway victories at Riviera last May and Apo

last July.

But a slew of others, headed by defending champion Ferdie Aunzo, will be out to

foil his bid for a third crown in what is expected to be another closely fought

battle for the top P200,000 purse in the tournament sponsored by International

Container Terminal Services, Inc.

Pagunsan lost by two strokes to Jay Bayron in the last leg at the Aboitiz

Invitational in Cebu last August and had another runner-up finish at Mt.

Malarayat, making him the leading player in the Order of Merit ranking.

He will surely try to firm up his bid for the overall crown with only three

legs

left in the season, including the ICTSI Valley Golf Challenge at Valley Golf

Club in November and the Tour Championship in December in Canlubang, which he

ruled last year.

Although Bayron and Asian Tour campaigner Angelo Que remain undecided whether

or not to join or take a much needed break, the rest of the country’s top

shotmakers are in the fold, including Mars Pucay, winner at Forest Hills, Tony

Lascuna, Orchard leg champion Benjie Magada, Elmer Salvador, who won at

Malarayat, and young turks Rufino Bayron and Antonio Asistio II.

Also on tap is the pro-am tournament on Oct. 5 with the leading pros teaming up

with the invited amateur guests from the event’s chief backers backed by MJ

Carr

Golf Management, Jaguar, Land Rover, Studio 23, Balls TV, Srixon/Cleveland

Golf,

Callaway Golf, Odyssey and Golf Punk and media partners Business

Mirror, Inquirer Golf Monthly, A Round of Golf, Pinoygolfer.com and Omnisource.

Meanwhile, reigning national champion Clyde Mondilla and Jobim Carlos, fresh

from leading RP to the championship in the Lion City Cup last Friday, head the

roster of amateur seeing action in the event. The others are Dante Becierra,

Peter Villaber, Joey Huerva, Art Arbole, Paul Echavez and Fil-Am Carl

Santos-Ocampo.(pr)