Ababa seeks 2nd ICTSI title at home

MANILA, Philippines - Jhonnel Ababa hopes to get the most of his chance to score a rare back-to-back win on the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour as he joins a crack roster of homegrown talents vying in the P1 million ICTSI Apo Golf Invitational unfolding tomorrow at the Apo layout in Davao.

Unlike in his playoff victory over fellow Davaoeño Jay Bayron in the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge last month, however, the former national team mainstay faces overwhelming odds this week in terms of challenge and pressure from the revered men on the tour.

While the par-72 course, where he honed his talent and skills, would be to his liking, the same could not be said of the 85-player field which features the cream of the crop, some were absent when he scored a breakthrough win in Iloilo.

Juvic Pagunsan, Angelo Que, Frankie Miñoza and Miguel Tabuena will join the hunt for the top P200,000 purse in the eighth leg of the ICTSI-PGT, completing a rare gathering of the country’s top guns and rising stars in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Pagunsan, for one, is out to erase his own record – become the first player to defend a leg title three straight times in the event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. Although he had a forgettable stint at home in the ICTSI Negros Occidental in Bacolod, where he collapsed in the final round, the smooth-swing shotmaker is expected to re-stamp his class at Apo.

Que is also raring to shoot a second crown after dominating the ICTSI Classic at Mt. Malarayat before shifting his campaign on the Asian Tour while Miñoza also hopes to make the most of his rare appearance on the local circuit with a victory this week.

Focus will also be on Tabuena, who is out to end a string of so-so finishes abroad along with a host of local talents, headed by Bayron, Lascuna, Marvin Dumandan, Elmer Salvador, Ferdie Aunzo and Cassius Casas.

The leading pros get the chance to test the course as they play in the traditional pro-am tournament today along with officials and guests of the event’s chief backers, including 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.

Meanwhile, Ababa’s victory in Iloilo put him in No. 4 in the Order of Merit ranking with earnings of P404,796. Pagunsan, winner of three of the first seven legs, is way ahead with P1,154,604 followed by Lascuna with P508,144 and Salvador with P453,244.

From Davao, action shifts to Bukidnon on Aug. 17-19 for the ICTSI Del Monte Championship where Casas snatched the victory when Pagunsan and two others were disqualified on a final hole infraction.

Cebu will host the next leg on Aug. 31-Sept. 3.

3 for the ICTSI Aboitiz Invitational, a 72-hole championship which also serves as a leg of the Asian Development Tour.