Droughts end as Lascuña, Pactolerin waltz to victory
SAN PEDRO, Laguna—More than stamping their dominance in the local senior ranks, Antonio Lascuña and Robert Pactolerin quenched a thirst for winning many professional golfers never get to do.
Ask Pactolerin.
“It’s been 13 years, so yes, this is very, very special,” the 63-year-old Pactolerin told the Inquirer in Filipino on Wednesday after running away with the 60-69 (Super Senior) title in the Stronghold Insurance Senior Open.
He shared the day’s honors with, coincidentally, the last man he beat in a full tournament at Marapara in Bacolod in 2012, Lascuña.
“I’m a fierce competitor. I just love competition,” the 1990 Philippine Open champion added after closing out with a four-over-par 76 to win his division by 10 shots over Doming Umadhay. “So getting to show the ability needed to again win a full tournament is really fulfilling. You just never get tired of winning.”
Bigger next year
Lascuña, meanwhile, played just well enough, returning a second straight 72 to win the centerpiece 50-59 (Senior) crown by five shots over Mars Pucay, as he ends the year a winner after not having tasted it the entire season on the regular Philippine Golf Tour and in stints as a senior abroad.
“I’m very happy,” the 54-year-old Lascuña said in a separate interview after tallying a four-under 212 at tree-lined and demanding Hallow Ridge here. “It gives me a lot of confidence to compete, knowing that I still have it at this age and how it validates all the hard work that I have been putting in.”
Pucay returned a second straight 71, while Umadhay closed out with a 79, and both really fell short in putting pressure on the eventual champs, even as Fabian del Rosario needed sudden death to turn back Dave Hernandez in the 70-and-above (Legends) division that was decided in 19 holes in total.
“This is for the love of the game,” Stronghold Insurance president and general manager Romulo delos Reyes Jr. told the players during the awarding rites, where he made a promise that had the participants applauding.
“We will expand this tournament next year and will try to form a Philippine team that will play in circuits abroad,” Delos Reyes added.
