Pro-am kicks off 2nd leg of ICTSI tour

The ICTSI Sherwood Classic kicks off today with the pro-am event featuring some of the country’s top shotmakers and a big number of golfing executives with the tournament proper set to fire off tomorrow at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Cavite.

A shotgun start at 7 a.m. sets off the one-day event with around 30 teams vying for top honors in the team event featuring Sherwood Hills chair Bob Sobrepena and officials from the sponsoring ICTSI, which put up a three-leg circuit reviving the Philippine Golf Tour.

Cassius Casas, who snapped a long title drought with a victory in the B-Ing Championship of the Mercedes Tour in Thailand recently, Jerome Delariarte, Rey Pagunsan and Jay Bayron head the pros out to redeem themselves from a humbling defeat to a top rookie in the tour’s first leg at Valley early this month.

Rufino Bayron, a national team mainstay, nipped Delariarte in the first playoff hole to snatch the ICTSI Valley Golf Challenge crown at Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo last Oct. 1-3.

Bayron, toughened up by a stint in the World Amateurs, and ICTSI teammates Ferdie Aunzo, Tonton Asistio and Anthony Fernando will again be in the fold in tomorrow’s start of the 54-hole tournament offering P1 million in prize money sponsored by ICTSI, Srixon, Callaway, Maruman, Gatorade, MJ Carr Golf Management Inc. , Inquirer Golf, Golf Digest, Golf Punk, Motorola, Samsung and Maya Ads.

International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI), a long time patron of RP golf, is playing a major role in starting up the circuit along with promoter World Sport Group.

ICTSI also sponsored an event on the Mercedes-Benz Tour at Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club and has been sponsoring a number of local pros on the Asian Tour, including reigning Philippine Open champion Angelo Que, Juvic Pagunsan and Anthony Lascuna as well as Jennifer Rosales in the LPGA.