DAVAO — Juvic Pagunsan capped his three-day romp in the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour's Apo Classic with a closing one-under par 71 yesterday, cruising to a six-shot victory over Jerome Delariarte and Artemio Murakami and underscoring his claim as the country's top shotmaker today.
Sitting on a five-stroke cushion at the start of the final round, Pagunsan played pressure-free throughout the day, letting a couple of birdies slip away with flubbed putts but still running away with the crown on a 206 aggregate at the Apo Golf and Country Club course.
He took the top P200,000 and will head for Kuala Lumpur next week with the momentum and confidence for a crack at the crown on the Malaysian tour.
Pagunsan, who anchored his triumph on a fiery 66 in the first round of the 54-hole tournament, will skip the ICTSI Pueblo de Oro Championship in Cagayan de Oro, the fourth leg of the 10-stage circuit sponsored by ICTSI (International Container Terminal Services Inc.), next week.
Murakami, Pagunsan's buddy and fellow Asian Tour campaigner, rallied with a two-under par 70 and gained a share of runner-up honors with Jerome Delariarte, who failed to sustain his under-par rounds of 71-69 with a 72. Both wound up with 212s and received P92,500 each.
Elmer Salvador, runner-up to Marvin Dumandan here last year when the local tour kicked off with a three-leg circuit, backed by MJ Carr Golf Management and supported by Pisanti, The Country Club, Srixon, FAMI, Business Mirror, Motorola, Omnisource and Pepsico, also carded an even par 72 and settled for fourth with a 214. He got P50,000.
Dumandan, who has racked up over P300,000 in the first two legs of the circuit with a victory at Eagle Ridge and a runner-up finish at Mt. Malarayat, tinkered with his driving for this tournament and paid dearly for it as he struggled to find his rhythm and form with rounds of 73 and 71 before closing out with an even par 72. He placed fifth at 216 worth P40,000 but remained on top of the Order or Merit race.
Ramil Bisera also shot a 72 and tied Jun Bernis, shooting a 73, for sixth with 271s with both players halving the combined P65,000 purse.
Seven players finished tied for eighth at 218, including first leg winner Danny Zarate, who struggled with a 73. Carito Villaroman, Richard Abaring and Ebarra Quiachon all had 69s, Mars Pucay rallied with a 71, and Ruben Sasutil and Elmer Saban each had 74. Each received P22,000.
Peter Villaber emerged the low amateur with a 220 after a 74 for a share of 16th.
Up by seven over Murakami after two rounds, Pagunsan yielded three shots with a bogey on No. 2 coupled by Murakami's birdies on Nos. 1 and 3. But the smooth-swinging Bacolod shotmaker, a revered named on the Asian Tour, buckled down to work by hitting four birdies against two more bogeys for that 71.
Murakami failed to come up with a follow up to that fine start, dropping strokes on Nos. 4 and 13 before making a birdie-birdie finish.
Five down at the start of the day, Delariarte, runner-up to rookie Rufino Bayron at ICSTI-Valley last year, made four straight birdies from No. 6 and added another one on No. 15 but dropped five shots on two holes with a triple-bogey on No. 2 and a double-bogey on the 10th.
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