After two legs in Luzon, the ICTSI golf circuit goes down south in what has been considered as the spawning ground of golf talents in the country when the ICTSI Apo Golf Invitational unfolds today with the pro-am event at the Apo Golf and Country Club in Davao City.
Robert Pactolerin, winner of the second leg at Sherwood last month, goes for back-to-back victory in the 54-hole tournament as he leads a crack list of players, including local bet Jay Bayron, Juvic Pagunsan, Michael Bibat and Marvin Dumandan, chasing the top P164,000 purse.
The pros prime up for the event as they test the tricky par-72 layout in today’s 18-hole pro-am tournament, which also features a number of golfing executives and guests of the International Container Terminal Services, Inc.
The cream of the amateur crop, however, will not be around as the likes of Ferdie Aunzo, Tonton Asistio and Rufino Bayron are competing in the ongoing Fil-Am tournament in Baguio carrying The Country Club banner.
Rufino Bayron, also the DHL Open champion and veteran of the World Amateurs, humbled the pros to top the circuit’s kickoff leg at Valley Golf while Aunzo, the reigning national champion, finished joint second to Pactolerin at Sherwood.
A shotgun start at 7 a.m. sets off the pro-am with around 30 teams vying for top honors in the team event, sponsored by ICTSI, Srixon, Callaway, Maruman, Gatorade, MJ Carr Golf Management Inc. , Inquirer Golf, Golf Digest, Golf Punk, Motorola, Samsung and Maya Ads.
Others seeing action in tomorrow’s start of the tournament proper are local bets Tony Lascuna and Cassius Casas, Jerome Delariarte, Tony Lascuna and Rey Pagunsan, the best Filipino finisher at joint fourth in last week’s Thailand Masters of the Mercedes Tour.
A long time patron of RP golf, ICTSI is playing a major role in starting up the circuit along with promoter World Sport Group.
World Sport Group is the leading promoter of golf tournaments in Asia with their portfolio of events including the Barclays Singapore Open, the Hero Honda Indian Open and the Volvo Masters of Asia.