Casas up by one under new format

A unique scoring format used for the first time on the pro tour produced a familiar leader as Cassius Casas showed up the stellar field with 8 Stableford points behind a birdie-binge coming home at the start of the P1 million Eastridge Invitational tournament yesterday at the Eastridge Golf Club course in Binangonan, Rizal.

But Casas’ early pursuers were a curious mix of players, including veteran campaigners Dan Cruz and Danny delos Santos, who finished with identical 7 points, vintage Rey Alit, who had 6, and Tony Lascuna and Carito Villaroman, who both had 5, while amateur Ferdie Aunzo, surprised the field with 4 points.

Rey Pagunsan, the prohibitive favorite in this event put up by Mega-Pro Resources International and Overseas Professional Achievere International, Inc. owned by Japanese members at Eastridge, failed to flaunt his awesome power to the hilt as he struggled with his balky putter that produced five three-putts.

Despite hitting five birdies in the windy day, Pagunsan wound up with no point although he vowed to atone for his uninspiring start in this four-day championship which stakes P150,000 to the winner.

Pagunsan emerged the biggest winner in the pro-am event last Tuesday, winning a total of P27,000 for winning the individual and the team events on a five-under-par 67.

"Malakas ang hangin pero swerte lang at naka-iskor pa rin," said Casas, who won P1 million in the Don Enrique Razon Memorial Cup, the last big pro event held last February at The Country Club.

Playing with a poise of proven winner, the dusky shotmaker banged in back-to-back birdies inside 10 feet from No. 14 and although he flubbed an eagle-putt from about the same distance on the par-5 18th, Casas closed out with the best backside stint in the event patterned after The International on the US PGA Tour.

Under the scoring format, a player get two points for each birdie, five for an eagle or hole-in-one and eight for double eagle. But one gets a point deduction for each bogey and three for a double-bogey or worse.

The Ababa brothers — Cesar and Edgar — both scored 3 points while former RP Open champion Robert Pactolerin churned out 2 points, the same output put in by Vince Lauron and Korean enry Park Sung-mo. — Dante Navarro