Salvador posts most lopsided win in ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic

ELMER SALVADOR cruised his way to his first win in the circuit in record-breaking fashion as he fired a four-under 68 and finished with a 12-shot romp over Mars Pucay and Artemio Murakami in the ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic at the Sherwood Hills Golf and Country Club in Cavite, yesterday.

Four ahead of Cassius Casas at the start of the final round, Salvador birdied the first three holes to pull away for good then coasted with three more birdies against two bogeys for a closing 32-36 card to post the most lopsided victory in the three-year circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

Counting his earlier bogey-free rounds of 68 and 67, Salvador emerged as the only player to complete a run of under-par scores at one of the country’s toughest courses, winding up with an aggregate of 13-under 203.

Salvador took the top purse of P200,000 and is expected to surge past Jay Bayron for the No. 2 spot in the Order of Merit derby with four legs left in the 16-stage series sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

He can also unseat current OOM leader Juvic Pagunsan, who earlier registered the biggest margin of victory at four over Salvador in completing a three-peat at ICTSI Apo Golf Invitational but is out for the rest of the season.

Pucay, who figured in a four-way tie with Salvador, Tony Lascuna and Gene Bondoc with a 68 in the first round, bogeyed the last two holes and stumbled with a 73, dropping into a tie for second with Murakami at 215. Murakami, who sparked hopes of a big comeback from an opening 75 by firing the tournament-best 66 Friday, never recovered from a three-bogey string from No. 3 and limped home with a 74. He split the combined P185,000 prize with Pucay. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio