Pacto hoping for 'repeat' at Sherwood

MANILA, Philippines - Veteran returns to the scene of his triumph in the revival of the local golf circuit as he heads a crack field vying for top honors in the P1 million Philippine Golf Tour-ICTSI Sherwood Classic slated July 28-31 at the Sherwood Golf and Country Club in Trece Martires, Cavite.

Pactolerin, a revered name on the tour in the past but whose game went on a downswing due to lack of tournaments, reigned at Sherwood last year, beating Elmer Salvador by two strokes in the second of the three-leg circuit put up by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. as a prelude to this year’s 10-stage regular tour.

But the former Philippine Open and Masters champion has groped for form in the first four legs of the circuit, recording two 21st place finishes at Apo and Pueblo, a 24th and 37th place efforts at Mt. Malarayat and Eagle Ridge, heading into the fifth stage of the P10 million circuit backed by MJCarr Golf Management, Pisanti, The Country Club, Srixon, FAMI, Business Mirror, Motorola, Omnisource, Nike Golf, Tiger Gatorade and Pepsico.

Joining Pactolerin in the hunt for the top P200,000 purse are leg winners Marvin Dumandan and Danny Zarate, perennial contenders Jerome Delariarte, Richard Sinfuego and Salvador, rookies Ferdie Aunzo and Anthony Fernando, and veterans Cassius Casas, Rey Pagunsan, Ruben Sasutil and Antolin Fernando.

Meanwhile, Dumandan, who lorded it over the field in the rain-hit Eagle Ridge stop, continued to lead the Order of Merit race after four legs with P420,867 earnings. Angelo Que, winner of the ICTSI-Mt. Malarayat leg of the Mercedes Benz Tour, is in second with P381,922 although the reigning Philippine Open champion has limited participation on the local circuit owing to his campaign on the Asian Tour along with Juvic Pagunsan and Japan PGA Tour-based Frankie Miñoza, who incidentally ruled the ICTSI-Apo and ICTSI-Pueblo de Oro legs recently.

Zarate, who topped the kickoff leg at Mt. Malarayat, is in third with P306,227 while Sinfuego, runner-up to Miñoza at Pueblo, seized fourth place with P293,997 followed by Delariarte (P293,022), Jay Bayron (P246,147), Pagunsan (P209,750), Miñoza (P200,000), Artemio Murakami (P185,606) and Salvador (P152,152) in that order.

After the ICTSI Sherwood Classic, the tour will head to the ICTSI Riviera Championship on Sept. 7-11 in Silang, Cavite.