Lascuña, 4 others set pace in ICTSI

MANILA, Philippines - Tony Lascuña and Jay Bayron survived the ordeal that befell fancied Elmer Salvador and Juvic Pagunsan in brutal conditions in the afternoon flight, salvaging identical one-under par 71s and forcing a five-way logjam for the lead at the start of the ICTSI Sherwood Hills Golf Classic at the Sherwood Golf and Country Club in Trece Martirez, Cavite yesterday.

Lascuña, who had two birdies against a bogey at the back from where he started, three-putted the par-5 No. 4 for bogey, made a pitch-in eagle from 120 yards on the next but failed to rescue a par from the bunker on the ninth for a 36-35 round.

Bayron also had a 35-36 card in a windy day as they joined Marvin Dumandan, Michael Bibat and Richard Sinfuego in the lead in what promises to be a wild and wooly race for the crown in the P1 million tournament serving as the third leg of the Philippine Golf Tour.

“It’s too windy out there and the greens are tough,” said Lascuña, who also teamed up with celebrities Tonton Gutierrez and Glydel Mercado and Martin Jickain to rule the pro-am tournament Tuesday, in Filipino.

Dumandan, No. 3 in last year’s Order of Merit ranking, made six birdies, including back-to-back from No. 16, but had a double-bogey on the par-3 No. 8 and three bogeys, the last from a missed green and a flubbed 10-foot par-putt on an unpredictable course that yields birdies and even eagles for accurate, solid games but punishes those with wayward shots especially in the presence of the wind.

Bibat, the former Asian Games bronze medalist still searching for a breakthrough victory on the pro tour in three years, actually turned in one of the day’s two solid starts when he strung up four straight birdies from No. 3. But like Dumandan, he dropped two shots on No. 8 and bogeyed three of the next four holes before birdying three of the last six for that 35-36.

Sinfuego, who finished runner-up to OOM winner Elmer Salvador without winning a leg in last year’s staging of the circuit sponsored by ICTSI, made an eagle-2 at the par-4 16th and went on to fire four more birdies against three bogeys and a double-bogey for a 34-37 card. 

The fivesome posted a one-shot lead over Mars Pucay, who matched par 72 while Angelo Que, Ferdie Aunzo, Cassius Casas and unheralded Ranel Glimada stood a shot adrift with 73s.

But while the fancied bets bucked the odds, Salvador and Pagunsan hobbled in brutal conditions in the afternoon flight with the former, winner here last year and in last month’s ICTSI Classic at Mt. Malarayat, limping home with a nine-over 81 and the latter, one of the fancied names on the tour, reeling with a five-over par 77.

Aunzo eagled the par-5 ninth for a 34 but made a bogey on No. 11, fumbled with a triple bogey on No. 12 and had a double bogey on the 15th against three birdies for a 73.

Artemio Murakami turned in the day’s other impressive start with four birdies after eight holes. But like Bibat and Dumandan, he stumbled with a 5 on No. 8 and dropped five strokes in the first eight holes at the back before birdying the 18th to salvage a 74 in the tournament backed by MJ Carr Golf Management, Jaguar, Land Rover, Studio 23, Balls TV and Golf Punk.

Other 74 scorers were Orland Sumcad and amateur Paul Echavez.