His reputation as a major league player severely tarnished by a series of forgettable stints here and abroad, Casas got through the worst crisis of his colorful career with a masterful four-stroke victory in the second leg of the First Gentleman’s Professional Golf Circuit in Trece Martires, Cavite.
The 35-year-old Casas pulled ahead with an eagle-birdie stint on the fourth and fifth holes and after a minor double-bogey snag on the 12th, he charged home with three birdies on the final six holes.
He finished with a 72-hole total of 281, seven under par over the Sherwood Hills Golf Club course after a closing four-under-par 58 in the event jointly organized by the First Gentleman Foundation and the Federation of Golf Clubs Philippines, Inc.
Mars Pucay, his final-day round mishaps getting in the way again, went toe-to-toe with Casas for 15 holes but faded on the final stretch with a bogey on 16th and a no-penalty double-bogey on the 18th.
Pucay, whose three-putt miscue on the final hole last week at Sta. Elena cost him a stint in the sudden-death playoff, had a 76 and settled for second at 285.
Danny Zarate, his steady play not enough to give him a shot at the crown, tallied a 71 and Robert Pactolerin, scoring a 72, shared third place at 286 with second round leader Mario Siodina (76) and Richard Sinfuego (76) wounding up fifth at 287.
"Alam ko nandyan pa ang palo, hindi lang talaga nagtatama ang mga pamalo. Saka hindi naman palagi panalo, minsan nasa ibaba ka rin," said Casas, relieved that his streak of setbacks were over.
It could go no shorter than six cut-off stints, he said, that translated to hundreds of thousands of pesos down the drain.
The P100,000 cheque he won may not be enough to recover his lost investments but the Philippine Airlines-sponsored pro believes it’s like a whiff of fresh air.