MANILA, Philippines - Jay Bayron, fresh from his emphatic victory in the Aboitiz Invitational presented by ICTSI in Cebu, goes for another win as he heads the field in the ICTSI-Riviera Classic slated Sept. 14-16 at Riviera’s Langer layout in Silang, Cavite.
Bayron turned in a spectacular final round 64 to dominate the Aboitiz tilt two weeks ago, winning by five over Elmer Salvador, Tony Lascuña, Marvin Dumandan and American Jonathan Moore.
The victory in the first Philippine event to be calendared on the Asian Development Tour was worth P500,500 for Bayron, who gained on Juvic Pagunsan in the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour’s Order of Merit race.
Bayron, who sneaked past Pagunsan to capture the OOM crown last year, now has P883,994 earnings, still way behind Pagunsan’s P1,474,604 winnings but confident of catching up with six more legs left in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
Out to crowd Bayron for top honors in the upcoming P1 million 54-hole event are leg winners Mhark Fernando (Del Monte), Jhonnel Ababa (Iloilo) and Robert Pactolerin (Bacolod), Salvador, Cassius Casas, Anthony Fernando and brother Rufino Bayron and Jerson Balasabas.
Pagunsan, winner of four of the first 10 legs, dominated the ICTSI Riviera Classic last year but will not see action next week, along with the other regular Asian Tour campaigners, to vie in the Macau Open.
Meanwhile, Salvador is just behind Bayron in the OOM race with P812,019 followed by Lascuña (P764,219), Ababa (P561,456), Dumandan (P506,632), Mhark Fernando (P395,864), Casas (P314,254), Rufino Bayron (P311,654) and Anthony Fernando (P311,205).
From Riviera, the 16-stage tour heads to Sherwood Golf Club, also in Cavite, for the ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic on Sept. 28-30 with the Villamor Golf Club debuting in the circuit in three years by hosting the ICTSI Villamor Classic on Oct. 19-21.
The tour, sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc., will also make its first stop at Calatagan Golf Club in Batangas for the ICTSI Calatagan Challenge on Oct. 26-28 before Canlubang hosts the penultimate leg on Nov. 9-11 with the ICTSI Canlubang Golf Invitational.
The circuit winds up with the ICTSI Wack Wack Championship at Wack Wack, which is also hosting a leg for the first time on Nov. 23-25.
The other chief backers of the local tour are MJ Carr Golf Management, Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Unilab, BDO, Titleist, Sharp, Custom Clubmakers,
Mizuno, PinoyGolfer.com, Inquirer Golf, Omnisource International, A Round of Golf, Studio 23, Balls, and Dynamic Sports.