Manila, April 10: Juvic Pagunsan hopes to cradle the inaugural Solaire Open trophy and a new born baby boy when he bids for a long-awaited second Asian Tour title at the US$300,000 event which starts on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The Filipino star is gearing up for a pressure-packed week as his wife (Len) is expected to give birth to their second child within a fortnight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a bit of a pressure for me because I\u2019m worried about my wife. She doesn\u2019t have a driver so I\u2019ll have to fetch her to the doctor. My daughter knows how to contact me when the time comes. It isn\u2019t easy. I had to come early for a practice round today (Wednesday), play nine holes and return home to take care of my wife,\u201d said Pagunsan.<\/p>\n
Pagunsan, the first Filipino to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2011, remains steadfast that he can overcome the strong challenges from the elite field this week and end a six-year title drought on the region\u2019s premier Tour, which is celebrating its milestone 10th season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we are all happy with this new event on the Asian Tour and in the Philippines. This new tournament is big for all of us. I\u2019ll try my best to win. I\u2019m hitting the ball good. I need luck to win. I\u2019ve come close on so many occasions but I just need that stroke of luck to win again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He is wary of the challenging Wack Wack Golf and Country Club and rates the par three eighth hole, which has narrow fairways and an elevated green, as a \u2018monster\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe par three eighth hole is very hard. It is a \u2018monster\u2019 hole for me. I think everybody will find it tough when they reach that hole. The greens are elevated and if you miss it, your ball might roll down the slope. Honestly, I don\u2019t know this golf course as well as the other Filipino players. So I don\u2019t think I have an advantage here,\u201d added Pagunsan.<\/p>\n
Mardan Mamat of Singapore, who is aiming to relive his winning memories at the 2012 Philippine Open, said Wack Wack is a planning course and does not always reward the long hitters.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of my victories came on old courses and this is one of the courses which I like to play on. You need to have good course management. It is not all about power here. You need to know where you have to place the ball and not just hit it strong off the tees,\u201d said the 45-year-old.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is more fun when you can shape the ball instead of just hitting it long. Hitting long balls is the key for most of the players but I like to make shots and think about what shots to hit. It is not always about hitting hard,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Korea\u2019s Baek Seuk-hyun, currently fifth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, China\u2019s Hu Mu, who enjoyed a runner-up result in Chiangmai two weeks ago and Scott Barr of Australia are among the players from 22 countries vying for honours this week.<\/p>\n
Hu, ranked 27th on the Order of Merit, makes a return to the Wack Wack East course, a familiar course where he finished tied 33rd at the Philippine Open last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel good coming back to this course. I\u2019m familiar with the course since I played here last year. Staying in the same hotel, playing on the same golf course, it\u2019s really nice coming back to play here,\u201d said Hu.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe course is really difficult. It seems to be catered for golfers who can drive the ball really well. Having played in a couple of Asian Tour events this year, I\u2019ve learnt to take my time when I\u2019m out on the course.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barr is inspired by the victories of countrymen Scott Hend and Wade Ormsby, who won the Chiangmai Golf Classic and Panasonic Open India respectively in the last two weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving seen Australians winning twice in a row is really a huge motivation for me. It\u2019s good to see Australians playing well again on the tour. I\u2019ll be pretty happy if I can hold the trophy this week!\u201d said Barr.<\/p>\n
The rejuvenated Australian, who is coming into the Solaire Open after taking a week\u2019s break, is planning a more conservative approach with hopes that it will lead him to a first Asian Tour win.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there are two ways you can play on this course. You can either be aggressive or conservative. Over the years, I think I\u2019m starting to take on the more conservative way. Hopefully that will pay a little bit of dividends!\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Manila, April 10: Juvic Pagunsan hopes to cradle the inaugural Solaire Open trophy and a new born baby boy when he bids for a long-awaited second Asian Tour title at the US$300,000 event which starts on Thursday. The Filipino star is gearing up for a pressure-packed week as his wife (Len) is expected to give […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[7067,8154,8153],"class_list":["post-13622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world-golf-news","tag-juvic-pagunsan","tag-mardan-mamatindian-sports-news-network","tag-solaire-open-trophy"],"yoast_head":"\n