TCC Invit’l stakes record P5M

MANILA, Philippines - The Country Club Invitational, long regarded as the country’s golf major championship, continues to get bigger in terms of prize money and prestige as it stakes a record P5 million pot when it is held Feb. 7-10 at the TCC layout in Laguna.

With the winner set to pocket a whopping P1.5 million, the upcoming four-day championship will thus surpass the previous high of P4.5 million in last year’s 10th staging of the event which Juvic Pagunsan dominated to win the top P1.4 million purse.

Pagunsan put on a strong finishing kick to rout the field in the event serving as the kickoff leg of the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour which features the top 36 players of the local tour’s 2012 Order of Merit ranking.

It was Pagunsan’s third TCC Invitational crown, matching Angelo Que’s feat in the event that has become the most keenly awaited tournament among the pros and amateurs for its stature and magnitude.

Pagunsan, last year’s Asian Tour’s No. 1, also reigned in 2006 and 2008, and his four-shot romp over Elmer Salvador last year foiled Que’s grand slam bid after the latter swept the 2010-11 titles.

But Pagunsan and Que are expected to face stiff challenge when they bid for a record fourth crown in the championship, put up annually by long-time golf patron Ricky Razon, chairman and CEO of ICTSI, the global leader in port management, in honor of his late father and ICTSI founder, Enrique “Don Pocholo” Razon Sr., himself an avid golfer.

Heading the star-studded challenger’s list is Tony Lascuña, the hottest player on the tour today with a stirring come-from-behind triumph in the recent Sabah Masters. Lascuña won three legs on the ICTSI-PGT last year to bag not only the OOM crown but also the Players’ Player of the Year honors, capping his romp with a runaway victory in the final leg at Wack Wack last December.

The 42-year-old Davaoeño shotmaker, however, has opted to downplay his chances for a second TCC crown. He first won way back in 2004.

“I’m in top shape and my ball-striking is quite consistent. But the field is so strong and talented and I’m sure everybody trained hard during the off-season for this event,” said Lascuña.

Meanwhile, the traditional 18-hole pro-am event, featuring the leading pros and ICTSI’s guests from various sectors, will be held on Feb. 6.

Others vying in the TCC Invitational are former champions Cassius Casas (2003), Jerome Delariarte (2005), Artemio Murakami (2009) along with Zanie Boy Gialon, Miguel Tabuena, Jay Bayron, Elmer Saban, Clyde Mondilla, Charles Hong, Mhark Fernando, Rufino Bayron, Mars Pucay, Richard Sinfuego, Carl Santos-Ocampo, Jhonnel Ababa, Jun Bernis; Randy Garalde, Michael Bibat, Ferdie Aunzo, James Ryan Lam, Orlan Sumcad, Joenard Rates, Benjie Magada, Christopher delos Santos, Arnold Villavicencio, Rey Pagunsan, Anthony Fernando and Frankie Miñoza.