Tight ICTSI Merit race up at Cangolf

MANILA, Philippines - The ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour winds up its 13-stage circuit at Canlubang Golf and Country Club in Laguna next week with the Tour Championship with four players in hot pursuit of the Order of Merit crown.

Juvic Pagunsan, winner of ICTSI-Riviera and ICTSI-Davao legs, leads the title hunt with P917,332 in winnings with Jay Bayron, who beat Pagunsan to capture the Aboitiz Invitational crown in Cebu, in second with earnings of P830,817.

Marvin Dumandan jumped from No. 11 to No. 3 with victories in the last two legs at Royal Northwoods and Mimosa, hoping to sustain his fine form even with the expected return of the big guns in the tournament which offers a top purse of P200,000.

Ushering in the 54-hole event is the pro-am tournament on Nov. 23 with the leading pros teaming up with the invited amateur guests from the chief backers of the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

Pagunsan, Bayron, Artemio Murakami, Mars Pucay, Tony Lascuna and Angelo Que skipped the Mimosa leg to compete in the Singapore Open, enabling Dumandan to close in at third place with winnings of P731,973.

“I’ve been playing well and my putting is quite okay. But it will be different in Canlubang,” said Dumandan, who also won the ICTSI-Sherwood leg to emerge the winningest player in the circuit 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.

The Tour Championship will be held Nov. 24-26 with Dumandan needing no less than a victory in the P1 million event to snatch the coveted OOM plum which earlier looked like a cinch for Pagunsan.

Also in the hunt is Artemio Murakami, who has pooled P730,310 for fourth while

Pucay is in fifth P668,017, his confidence boosted by his joint 31st place finish in Singapore Open where he earned P2 million.

Lascuña, winless on the circuit with two playoff losses, dropped to sixth with P609,964, while last year’s OOM winner and reigning Philippine Open champion Elmer Salvador slid to seventh with P593,344.

Rounding up the top 10 are Ferdie Aunzo with P498,664, Cassius Casas, winner of the ICTSI-Del Monte leg, with P457,519 and ICTSI-Orchard leg champion Benjie Magada with P437,300.