ICTSI Sherwood leg unfolds

MANILA, Philippines - With the Asian Tour campaigners back in the hunt, expect another spirited battle for top honors in the P1 million Sherwood Hills Golf Classic, which begins today at the wet Sherwood Hills Golf and Country Club in Trece Martires, Cavite.

Elmer Salvador and Tony Lascuna head the crack list of players resuming their campaign on the local circuit after a three-week long stint abroad marked by Salvador’s near-breakthrough victory in the Singapore Classic but marred by his missed cut play in the Macau Open the week after.

Still, Salvador will be the player to watch in this week’s event, the 12th leg of the 16-stage circuit pushed a day later by rain spawned by Typhoon Pedring Tuesday, rendering the course soggy and forcing the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. to apply winter rules.

“I hope to bring back my focus this week,” said the 41-year-old Salvador, still in high spirit following his runner-up finish in Singapore where he missed clinching the top P2.1 million purse when he lost to Indian Hammat Rai on the sixth playoff hole. He settled for P876,825, still his biggest paycheck.

“It’s my first year on the Asian Tour and I didn’t expect much from myself then but I’m happy with how I played,” said Salvador, who hopes to sustain his form at Sherwood and finally clinch the elusive win on the circuit sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

The wet conditions notwithstanding, the chase for the P200,000 champion’s purse is tipped to go down-to-the-wire with Lascuna also raring to post his first local win after a couple of runner-up finishes, including a four-hole playoff loss to Robert Pactolerin in the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic. He also had two third-place finishes.

Mhark Fernando, meanwhile, underscored his readiness to go for a second crown as he led his team made up of amateurs Alex Santos, Luis Oh and Rodel Mangulabnan to victory in the pro-am tournament with a 54 aggregate, five ahead of Cassius Casas and amateur partners Rufino Bomasang, Ver Bucat and Ogie Caja, who pooled a 59.

The Casas team nipped Artemio Murakami, Mori Mendoza, Pong Manuel and Lia Manuel, who also had a 59, in the countback to clinch the runner-up honors in the event backed by 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.

Others fancied to contend for the crown are Jhonnel Ababa, who is seeking a follow-up to his come-from-behind win at ICTSI Riviera Classic two weeks ago, and Jay Bayron, out to redeem himself from a final round foldup at Riviera.

Bayron, the reigning Order of Merit champion, blew a five-stroke lead over Rey Pagunsan at Riviera with a horrible closing 81, enabling Ababa, seven strokes behind Bayron in the final round, to snatch a one-stroke win over Cassisus Casas.

It was Ababa’s second leg win in the season after essaying a similar from-behind win over Bayron in the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge last July.

Others in the hunt are Casas and Anthony Fernando and Murakami, who is also coming off the Asian Tour campaign, along with Gerald Rosales, the former Philippine Open champion who turned in a runner-up finish in last week’s final leg of the Asian Development Tour in Malaysia.

Marvin Dumandan, who won the Sherwood crown to spark a three-leg romp last year but still winless in the season, is also out to defend his title in the event along with Antonio Asistio II, Jerson Balasabas, Jun Bernis, Rufino Bayron, Dante Becierra, Michael Bibat, Gene Bondoc, Jerome Delariarte, Charles Hong, Randy Garalde, Elmer Saban, Rey Pagunsan, Erwin Vinluan and Arnold Villacencio.