Pagunsan completes six-stroke Apo romp

DAVAO, Philippines – Juvic Pagunsan capped his three-day romp in the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour’s Apo Classic with a closing one-under par 71 yesterday, cruising to a six-shot victory over Jerome Delariarte and Artemio Murakami and underscoring his claim as the country’s top shotmaker today.

Sitting on a five-stroke cushion at the start of the final round, Pagunsan played pressure-free throughout the day, letting a couple of birdies slip away with flubbed putts but still running away with the crown on a 206 aggregate at the Apo Golf and Country Club course.

He took the top P200,000 and will head for Kuala Lumpur next week with the momentum and confidence for a crack at the crown on the Malaysian tour.

Pagunsan, who anchored his triumph on a fiery 66 in the first round of the 54-hole tournament, will skip the ICTSI Pueblo de Oro Championship in Cagayan de Oro, the fourth leg of the 10-stage circuit sponsored by ICTSI (International Container Terminal Services, Inc.), next week.

Murakami, Pagunsan’s buddy and fellow Asian Tour campaigner, rallied with a two-under par 70 and gained a share of runner-up honors with Delariarte, who failed to sustain his under-par rounds of 71-69 with a 72. Both wound up with 212s and received P92,500 each.

Elmer Salvador, runner-up to Marvin Dumandan here last year when the local tour kicked off with a three-leg circuit, backed by MJ Carr Golf Management and supported by Pisanti, The Country Club, Srixon, FAMI, Business Mirror, Motorola, Omnisource and Pepsico, also carded an even par 72 and settled for fourth with a 214. He got P50,000.

Dumandan, who racked up over P300,000 in the first two legs of the circuit with a victory at Eagle Ridge and a runner-up finish at Mt. Malarayat, wound up with par 72 for fifth at 216. He won P40,000.