Salvador opens bid for 2nd straight title at ICTSI golf today

A HUGE bullseye will be posted on the back of Elmer Salvador as he tries to fend off a host of other contenders for the ICTSI Orchard Golf Championship crown which fires off today at the Orchard’s Palmer Course in Dasmarinas, Cavite.

Salvador is gunning for a second straight title on the Asian Developmental Tour with his confidence at an all-time high following his six-shot win over Tony Lascuna last week in the Aboitiz Invitational Presented by ICTSI in Cebu.

The entire Aboitiz field are in the Orchard roster, including a strong international cast out to atone for its mediocre showing in Cebu, led by Korean Kim Gi-whan, who emerged the top finisher from among a slew of foreign bets at fifth.

But the likes of England’s Peter Richardson and Dutch Guido Van der Valk and Australians Ryan Bulloch, Scott Barr and Luke Bleumink along with Singapore’s Quincy Quek and Lam Zhi Qun, Aussies Unho Park and Glenn Joyner, and Koreans Young Nam and Park Il-hwan are all expected to figure in the title race of the 72-hole championship.

Jay Bayron, who surged ahead of the ADT OOM ranking despite a failed title-retention bid at Aboitiz, is also tipped to come out strong along with local aces Mars Pucay, Angelo Que, Miguel Tabuena, Marvin Dumandan, Elmer Saban, Clyde Mondilla and Richard Sinfuego.  /Correspondent Jonas Panerio