Pactolerin, Lascuña vie for berths in World Cup

Robert Pactolerin and Tony Lascuña face a formidable task when they clash with some of Asia’s best shotmakers beginning Oct. 19 in the Asian Nations Cup, the region’s qualifier for this year’s World Cup of Golf.

A total of 12 countries, led by defending champion South Korea, are seeing action in the four-day event at the Pinx Golf Club in Cheju Island in Korea with Pactolerin and Lascuña hoping to duplicate the feat of Cassius Casas and Danny Zarate, who topped the qualifier and then finished 26th in the World Cup in South Carolina three years ago.

Although they are far from reaching peak form, with no local tournament to keep them busy, Pactolerin and Lascuña have vowed to dish out their very best in a bid to land in the top three and join the elite cast of players in the World Cup slated in Argentina in December.

World’s No. 1 Tiger Woods, who partnered with Mark O’Meara in posting a record-setting victory in Malaysia last year, is teaming up with David Duval for the United States’ title retention bid in the two-man team event.

Korea is fancied to get one of the slots in the qualifier with veterans Park Nam-sin and Choi Gwang-soo, who have amassed five titles between them on the Korean circuit this year, spearheading the hosts’ bid.

Other nations likely to launch serious assaults at Pinx include Thailand, Taiwan, and Malaysia. — Dante Navarro