Pucay fiery 67 ends long slump

MANILA, Philippines - Mars Pucay broke a three-year slump by ruling the rich ICTSI Tournament Players’ Championship, beating Jun Rates by four strokes with a closing eagle-aided, bogey-free 67 at the Southlinks Golf Club in Las Piñas yesterday.

Not hoisting a trophy since winning the ICTSI Iloilo Challenge in 2012, third-round co-leader Pucay made the most of his opportunity to strike again as he recalled his fierce form to turn what was expected to be wild finish into a runaway victory.

With previous rounds of 73-68-72, Pucay assembled an eight-under par 280 on the tight course that had bedeviled the games of his erstwhile co-leaders and pursuers, finishing way ahead of Rates, who scrambled with a 71 for a 204.

“This is a big confidence-booster for me, it’s been a long time. I’ve been seeking a championship to keep it going and finally I won again in the tour, winning it in a difficult course. It suits my game because I really hit from the tee to the fairway which is the most important in this golf course. For four days, I just had two penalties, which is okay considering how tight the course is,” said Pucay, who pocketed the top P650,000 purse in the final leg of the 16-stage circuit sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

The 44-year-old Pucay erased the stigma of the double-bogey fumble in the 18th hole of the third round that paved the way for a three-way logjam at the top by posting bogey-free nines of 34-33 in the final day of the 72-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

He birdied Nos. 1, 8 and 10 to regain the solo lead then finished off his rivals with a chip-in birdie on the par-5 No. 14 off a solid 3-wood drive and superb second shot.

“I was at three-under going to that hole. And when I made that, I knew I put some distance, going four-up, five-up (against the rest). From there, I just played it like hit to fairway, hit to green,” said Pucay, whose campaign is backed by Emcor and Mesaland.

“My tee shot has been solid, too. I hit the fairway in almost of the holes today,” added the ace from Baguio City.

Rates conceded that after the eagle, the title was for Pucay’s taking.

“I can see that Mars was steady and so I decided to just try to secure second place and rid myself of the pressure (of trying to steal the win),” said Rates, who gunned down three straight birdies from 14 to five-under before dropping one on 17 for one-under for the day.

“Given how tough the course is, I’m happy with the result,” added the diminutive Bacolod native, who netted P430,000.

Mhark Fernando bogeyed the 18th for a 70 and missed seizing solo third, dropping to joint second runner-up finish with Ferdie Aunzo and Elmer Saban, both turned identical even par 72s, at 286 in the tournament backed by Nike Golf, Pacsports Phils. Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Mizuno, Empire Golf, Footjoy, Titleist, Custom Clubmakers, Sharp, KZG and Rudy Project.  

Lam, who birdied the last two holes in the third round to earn a rare spot in the championship flight, cracked under pressure and bogeyed the first two holes and hobbled with a 74, tumbling to joint sixth with Michael Bibat, who matched Pucay’s 67 with a sizzling opening five-under 31, at 287.

Dutch Guido Van der Valk also rallied with a 69 to salvage solo eighth at 289 while Rolando Marabe wavered with a 76 and slid to ninth at 290.

Japanese Yuto Katsuragawa captured the low amateur honors for the third straight leg with a closing 67 as he ended up joint 10th with Miguel Ochoa, who carded a 71, at 292.

Bracing for a shootout, Pucay recalled his fierce form with his trusted 3- and 5-wood off the mound, hitting all fairways and reaching all but two greens to underscore his determined bid to end a long slump on the circuit.

“It’s really very important to hit the fairway from the tee in this course since once you miss it, it will all be struggle. It’s a matter of minimizing your mistakes here,” said Pucay.
Rates kept in step with Pucay with his par-game in the first six holes and stayed just within one with a birdie on the par-3 No. 7. But he hit errant drives on the next two holes and closed out the frontside with a 37, enabling Pucay to build a three-shot cushion.

Lam never recovered from his two early bogeys as though he gunned down a birdie on the sixth, he dropped another stroke on the ninth and fell by four.

Saban, Aunzo and Marabe never gained group one flight ahead although Saban played steady with a one-under card after eight holes before bogeying No. 9 and stood three strokes adrift of Pucay.

Aunzo bowed out early with a 40 at the turn while Marabe, who moved into early contention with a bogey-free 68 in the first round, failed to get going with a bogey on the second and made the turn at 37.