Pagunsan opens bid vs world's best in Dubai

MANILA, Philippines - Juvic Pagunsan finally gets to showcase his wares on the world stage against a field that includes three of the world’s top four players as the Asian Tour No. 1 vies in the rich Omega Dubai Desert Classic beginning today at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai.

Pagunsan has grabbed the rare chance to compete in the $2.5 million event held simultaneously with the Philippine Open with the country’s premier shotmaker joining the star-studded roster headlined by world No. 2 and former champion Rory McIlroy, No. 3 Lee Westwood and No. 4 Martin Kaymer.

He, however, won’t be taking on any of the three – at the least in the first two days – as the Filipino champion, ranked No. 162 in the world, drew a pair of lowly-rated rivals in Englishman Barry Lane (No. 599) and Younes El Hassani (No. 1401) of Morocco in the very last threesome in the 138-player field at 1:20 p.m. on No. 10.

But the late start is expected to be the least of his concerns with Pagunsan raring to display his world-class skills and talent in the four-day championship that also features defending champion Alvaro Quiros, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain, Swede Henrik Stenson, Italy’s Francesco and Edoardo Molinari, Scot Colin Montgomerie and Americans Fred Couple and John Daly.

The Dubai stint is but one of a number of big-time events lined up for Pagunsan this year after he topped last year’s Asian Tour Order of Merit ranking with a runner-up finish in the Singapore Open.

He is also set to compete in next month’s World Golf Championship in Florida and the British Open, of the world’s four majors, in July.

But Pagunsan, who also won the local circuit’s OOM title last year with four leg victories on the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour, said he’s also looking forward to playing before fans back home.

“I have a full schedule planned out for 2012. Part of being Asia’s No. 1 is you get invited to a number of marquee world events. But if my schedule permits me to, I will surely want to play before Filipino fans on the ICTSI-PGT,” said Pagunsan.

Meanwhile, Quiros is hoping to seal a unique hat-trick in Dubai after winning last year’s crown and then ruling the season-ending Dubai World Championship.

If Quiros can repeat his final round heroics of 12 months ago, he will be a difficult man to dethrone. The Spaniard’s roller coaster final closing round included a triple bogey seven and a hole- in-one as he thrilled the packed galleries and millions of television viewers across the globe to emerge triumphant over the likes of McIlroy, Westwood and Tiger Woods.

“I hope that performance can be an inspiration for this week,” said Quiros. “I am not feeling great about my game at the moment, but I have won the last two tournaments I have played in Dubai so hopefully that is the place where I can make everything come together again.

McIlroy, meanwhile, returns to a golf course and city with which he has become so familiar since making his breakthrough European Tour victory there in 2009, while Westwood is hoping to go one better than 2010, when he lost in a sudden-death play-off to Jiménez.

Couples, the 1995 Dubai Desert Classic champion, is one of 11 former Major winners in the field, a list that includes The European Tour’s most recent champion, Paul Lawrie.