Mars marches to second win in row

CAGAYAN de Oro - Mars Pucay did an Ernie Els yesterday, winning his first two events in 2003 with a two-stroke victory in the eighth leg at Pueblo de Oro yesterday that made him the first back-to-back champion of the First Gentleman’s Professional Golf Circuit presented by San Miguel Beer here.

There was even no need for a solid finish. Nobody just played well enough to make it a rough day for the new Order of Merit leader.

In fact, Pucay didn’t make a single birdie and even enjoyed the comfort of a closing bogey in a two-over-par 74 effort to clinch the crown as Cassius Casas and Mario Siodina made big slips in separate stages of the final round where playing conditions simply got the best of the field.

Casas, getting the runner-up prize for the second straight week and to the same player, was the first to fall after hitting into the ravine on a poor 7-iron tee-shot on the fourth for a double-bogey.

He was able to salvage a share of second place with Richard Sinfuego by sinking near-impossible putts with the sharpest slants - an 18-footer on the 15th and a mind-boggling 65-footer on the 17th. Those long putts gave him a 72 for a 285 like Sinfuego against the 283 of Pucay.

Steady play failed to win it for Sinfuego (72-71-72-70) who was just one of two players who broke par on a day when the pin placements bedevilled the field throughout the round.

Rey Pagunsan wound up fourth at 286 after a 72 while Mario Siodina, the 54-year-old who gave the young guns a big scare until the very end, saw his determined bid derail by a string of three bogeys from the ninth and wound up fifth.

After starting with a bogey on the first hole, Siodina (76-287) banged in an 8-footer on the eighth to be just one behind Pucay only to fumble with that disastrous stretch.

Rogelio "Ogie" Manalo, president of the Federation of Golf Clubs Philippines, Inc. which organizes the revival of the circuit, was joined by Pueblo de Oro president and general manager Rodolfo Menes and Paul Ferrer in awarding P100,000 of the P600,000 pot to Pucay and the other prizes to the winners.

The First Gent’s Tour moves on to the nearby Del Monte Golf Club next week with Pucay eyeing a three-leg sweep of the Mindanao swing.

"I’ve never won two straight tournaments in my pro career so this is really a memorable victory for me," said Pucay, who endorses Mizuno clubs, trains at Sta. Elena and enjoys the financial backing of Mesaland, Co. "I just tried to be patient all day, knowing the course conditions were tough enough to make birdies hard to find."

Dedicating the victory to his son Igor, Pucay said that he’s glad to have copied the sensational start of Els in the PGA Tour: "It’s nice to win in whatever way. Unlike Els who can shoot 65 everyday, I only had 15 pars and two bogeys today but still emerged the winner."

Casas, whose double-bogey on the final hole cost him the Rancho Palos Verdes leg, said that he could have given Pucay a better fight if not for his faulty iron play.

"There were about six swings with the iron that either denied me a birdie (on the par 5s) or put me in deep trouble (double bogey on No. 4). Finishing second again gives me that feeling that I’m slowly getting back to peak form."

Benjie Magada relinquished the OOM to Pucay after just tying for eighth with a 75-290. In his group was Ramon Brobio whose 71 was the other under-par score.