Lascuna, Pucay head Aboitiz invit'l cast

MANILA, Philippines - Tony Lascuna and Mars Pucay head a strong roster of local stars out to keep the Aboitiz Invitational Presented by ICTSI crown at home, both confident of their title chances against a stellar international field in the $65,000 Asian Development Tour event unfolding Aug. 8 at the Cebu Country Club.

With a new work ethic, Lascuna hopes to continue to flash the form he showed in the first eight legs of the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour, winning twice and posting one runner-up and four top 5 finishes to emerge the Order of Merit frontrunner.

“I think I’ve got a big chance here. My ball striking is quite solid and I’m playing with much confidence,” said Lascuna, who ended a two-year title drought with a victory at ICTSI Eagle Ridge Invitational last May. He followed it up with another win at Manila Southwoods and a second place effort in Iloilo.

“I’ve been training regularly now and I always think positive and these helped change my game for the better,” said Lascuna.

Pucay also saw his game go a notch higher when he won the ICTSI Iloilo Challenge two weeks ago, closing out with a bogey-free 66 at Sta. Barbara to end a two-year spell for the Asian Tour campaigner.

Heading to Cebu, Pucay said the battle for the top $11,375 purse in the event presented by ICTSI and sponsored by Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. remains wide-open but his recent victory has put him among the early list of contenders that includes five of the Top 10 players on the ADT Order of Merit derby.

“The win was indeed a big confidence booster for my campaign but it will be anybody’s game at CCC where chip-and-putt will be the key,” said Pucay, hinting at a nine-under winning card for the tournament organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Jay Bayron, who leaned on a closing six-under 64 to beat Marvin Dumandan by five last year, will still be the marked man as the defending champion although no fewer than 50 other Filipino players will be in the fold – all eager to achieve success on home soil and fuel their respective Asian Tour bids.

The top three money-earners after this year’s 12-leg ADT circuit will gain automatic cards on the elite Asian Tour for the 2013 season. Bayron is the leading Filipino player on the ADT OOM at No. 2, owing to his victory in last month’s Maybank ADT Challenge in Indonesia.

Others fancied to contend for the crown are Elmer Salvador, Michael Bibat, Ferdie Aunzo, Artemio Murakami, Mhark Fernando, Jhonnel Ababa, Carl Santos-Ocampo, Charles Hong, Anthony Fernando and Dumandan.

Focus will also be on Miguel Tabuena, a two-leg winner on the local circuit like Lascuna, and Angelo Que, the former three-time Asian Tour leg winner out to snap a long victory drought.

Australia Ryan Bulloch, winner of the ADT fourth leg in Malaysia and the current ADT OOM leader, spearheads the talent-laden foreign challenge along with Peter Richardson of England,and Aussies Luke Bleumink and Anthony Choat, Hsu Chia Jen of Chinese Taipei and Jeremiah Kim of Malaysia.

Other backers of the event are Empire Golf, Titleist, Footjoy, Callaway, TaylorMade, Mizuno, Srixon, Nike Golf, Custom Clubmakers and Sharp.