What was expected to be a down-the-wire finish turned out to be a one-man cakewalk as Elmer Salvador captured the Aboitiz Invitational title after firing an even-par 71 during yesterday’s final round at the Cebu Country Club in Banilad.
Salvador managed to lose his lead momentarily but regained it as his rival, fellow Davao-native, Tony Lascuna, struggled all day long and finished with a final round score of 76, wherein he failed to shoot a single birdie in the seventh leg of the Asian Development Tour sponsored by Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. and presented by ICTSI.
Salvador finished the four-day event with an eight-under 276 total worth $11,375 (around P477,000) out of the total pot of $65,000. It was his first international victory after two misses on the Asian Tour.
Bracing for a shootout, Salvador found the going tough early, dropping a stroke on the par-5 No. 2 allowing Lascuna to draw level. But he gained a big two-shot swing on No. 5 with a birdie coupled with Lascuna’s flubbed par-putt from six feet.
Regaining his confidence, Salvador made a couple of crucial pars in the next five holes then went three-up at the turn as Lascuna dropped another stroke on the seventh.
Lascuna’s game on the other hand, was night and day, as after a 66 kept him within striking distance last Friday, he failed to find his rhythm with two bogeys at the front to reel farther back and yielding the crown with a double-bogey mishap on the par-3 15th and another bogey on No. 17.
He wound up with a 282 worth $7,475 and went straight home while trying to figure out what went wrong on a day the par-71 layout – with its unreceptive greens – brought out the best and worst from the surviving field.
Mars Pucay and Elmer Saban went over par with 72s and shared third place at 285 with each taking $4,095 while Korean Kim Gi-whan posted a 69 for a 286 and emerged the top international finisher.
Jay Bayron, the reigning champion for the last two years was never in the running and settled for sixth with a 70 in a tie with Richard Sinfuego, who also had a 70, for 287.