| Bacolod City, Philippines | Tuesday, February 28, 2006 |
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BY CEDELF TUPAS
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For Negrense golf standout Juvic Pagunsan, winning the richest tournament in local golf Sunday was icing on the cake. "I was already happy that I was in contention in the playoff against (Frankie) Miņoza. Winning the playoff and the beating the best golfer in the country was just a bonus," Pagunsan told the DAILY STAR in a telephone interview yesterday. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old who started his career as a caddie at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club in Binitin is ecstatic about bringing home the P1.2 million prize he won in his very first try in a local pro tournament, despite the adversities he faced as the tournament progressed. Pagunsan shrugged off the effects of a flu that hampered his final-round performance and almost blew away his title hopes. "Knowing that my family was there to support me gave me enough motivation to pull through," he said, adding that he is skipping the Asian Tour-sanctioned Indonesian Open this week to get a well-deserve rest. After leading the Philippines to a two-gold romp in the Southeast Asian Games in December last year, Pagunsan set modest targets at the start of 2006 but he took a major step to professional golf prominence by earning his Asian Tour card after hurdling tough qualifying events in Malaysia in January. "For now, I just want to retain my Asian Tour card, winning tournaments will be a bonus for me," said Pagunsan, who ended up tied at 36th in his first pro tournament in Pakistan that netted him roughly $1,200. Pagunsan said he turned professional just in time. "It was a great feeling representing the country for many years and bringing honor in the process. Now, I am earning the fruits of my labor," Pagunsan added. *CPT |
