Lascuña finishes second in Taiwan Masters, pockets record P2.9 million

MANILA, Philippines - Tony Lascuña closed out with a gutsy 73 and finished solo second in the $600,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters ruled by local bet Tsai Chi-huang, pocketing his biggest purse to date worth $72,000 (P2.9 million) in Taiwan yesterday.

Lascuña, the Order of Merit leader on the Philippine Golf Tour, stayed in touch with Tsai majority of the final round but just couldn’t get closer in harsh conditions, holing out with a triple-bogey for that 73 and a 288.

He wound up four shots behind Tsai, who ran away with the crown despite a wind-blown 76 for a 284.

“I saw the scores and I knew I had a chance to win. But I was playing par golf at the backside and couldn’t score,” said Lascuña, who remained winless on the Asian Tour after posting his second runner-up finish in six years. “But I’m still happy with my result. I haven’t been in this position for a long time.”

Lascuña’s $72,000 winnings was more than what he took in last year’s campaign where he played 14 tournaments and earned $68,172.

Angelo Que also rallied with a 71 and finished joint sixth at 291 worth $19,500 (P799,500).