Focus on Pactolerin as ICTSI leg unfolds

MANILA, Philippines - The P1 million ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge unfolds today at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club with Robert Pactolerin going for a rare back-to-back win, Jay Bayron looking for his first victory and Richard Sinfuego out to reign at home.

With the rest of the starting 63-player field also raring to slug it out for top honors, the chase for the P200,000 purse in the seventh leg of the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour is expected to go down-to-the-wire the way it did in Bacolod last week.

Pactolerin came out of nowhere to fire a three-under 67 and force a playoff then edged Tony Lascuña in the fourth extra hole to rule the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic, ending a 30-month long title drought for the former Philippine Open champion.

The 50-year-old Pactolerin hopes to sustain his charge in the absence of the tour’s top guns although the field remains talent-laden with Bayron, the reigning Order of Merit champion with two victories last year, resuming his title hunt after a missed-cut stint in the One Asia Tour last week.

Sinfuego will also be a marked man in the 54-hole tournament, organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc., with the former national team mainstay expected to flaunt his local knowledge of the par-70 layout where he honed his talent and skills.

Meanwhile, Rufino Bayron primed up for the championship by leading his team composed of Carlos Jalandoni, Vic Lagman and Douglas Aurelio to victory with a 54 output, nipping Randy Garalde and partners Seve Aguilar, Vic Sucilla and Susan Divina Gracia in the countback in the traditional pro-am tournament yesterday.

Arnold Villacencio and Youn Wang Sob, Kozono Takayuki and Kim Dong Hoon combined for 56 to finish third in the event which featured guests and officials of the tournament backed by MJ Carr Golf Management, Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Unilab, BDO, Titleist, Sharp, Custom Clubmakers, Mizuno, Empire Golf & Sports Shop,PinoyGolfer.com, Inquirer Golf, Omnisource International, A Round of Golf, Studio 23, Balls, and Dynamic Sports.

A number of emerging stars are also tipped to contend for the crown, including Mhark Fernando, Jhonnel Ababa, Rufino Bayron, Jerson Balasabas, Carl Santos-Ocampo and Anthony Fernando, each hoping to come out strong and build the needed momentum.

Marvin Dumandan, winner of three legs last year, is likewise fancied to break out of a long slump along with Jun Bernis, Cassius Casas, Gene Bondoc, Rodrigo Cuello, Benjie Magada and Danny Zarate.

Juvic Pagunsan, who ruled three of the circuit’s first six legs but collapsed in the final round in Bacolod, is skipping this week’s event along with Artemio Murakami, Mars Pucay, Miguel Tabuena and Lascuña as they compete in the Selangor Masters in Malaysia, held simultaneously with the ICTSI Iloilo Challenge, where Angelo Que is the defending champion.

The big guns, however, are expected to be back in the ICTSI-PGT’s eighth leg at Apo Golf Club in Davao on Aug. 10-12 where Pagunsan is the reigning back-to-back champion. The circuit then hops to Bukidnon on Aug. 17-19 for the ICTSI Del Monte Championship before heading to Cebu for the Aboitiz Invitational, a 72-hole championship which also serve as a leg of the Asian Development Tour.