Juvic seeks 2nd win in row at Forest Hills

MANILA, Philippines - Juvic Pagunsan hopes to get going again starting Wednesday as he goes for a second straight victory on the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour in the ICTSI Forest Hills Championship at the challenging par-71 Forest Hills Golf Club in Antipolo.

Fresh from his runaway triumph in last week’s ICTSI-Riviera Classic, Pagunsan is expected to flaunt the same form he showed in dominating the best in the field at Riviera where he posted an eight-under 208 to run away with a six-shot victory over Danny Zarate and Richard Sinfuego.

He will be up against practically the same field, including Jay Bayron, who beat Marvin Dumandan by two in last year’s staging of the P1 million event serving as the fourth leg of this year’s ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour.

For one, Bayron will be out to atone for his dismal joint 24th place finish at Riviera where he groped for form right on the first day and struggled to make the cut in a big letdown from a player who just came from a string of runner-up finishes on the Mercedes-Benz Tour.

Dumandan, winner of the ICTSI-Sherwood Classic, is also raring to make up for his missed cut stint last week, hoping to recover fully well from a recent bout with flu while Zarate and Sinfuego try to press their respective title bids after falling short at Riviera.

Others vying for the top P200,000 purse in the 54-hole tournament sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments are Rey Pagunsan, Orland Sumcad, Gene Bondoc, Ferdie Aunzo, Tony Lascuña, Tony Opaco and Elmer Saban.

Meanwhile, a number of celebrities will spice up the pro-am tournament set tomorrow with Tonton Gutierrez eyeing a third straight in the 18-hole event backed by MJ Carr Golf Management, Jaguar, Land Rover, Studio 23, Balls TV, Srixon/Cleveland Golf, Callaway Golf, Odyssey and Golf Punk and media partners Business Mirror, Inquirer Golf Monthly, A Round of Golf, Pinoygolfer.com and Omnisource.