The Philippine Golf Tour returns to Bacolod for a two-week swing beginning tomorrow (Wednesday, July 6) with Tony Lascuña seeking a third straight leg victory in the ICTSI Bacolod Golf Challenge at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club.

The par-70 layout at Hacienda Binitin in Murcia, Negros Occidental is actually hosting a PGT event for the first time with the 75-player field bracing for a different kind of challenge at the tight, tree-lined, hazard laden layout with unpredictable putting surface.

Still, focus will be on Lascuña, who edged Japanese Ryoma Miki by one at Eagle Ridge Invitational last month then dominated the field with a season-best 11-shot romp over Zanieboy Gialon and Orlan Sumcad at Forest Hills Championship two weeks ago.

The P1.5 million championship, sponsored by ICTSI, serves as the first of two events in Bacolod with the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club staging the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic on July 13-16.

Lascuña also won last at the former Marapara layout, beating Elmer Salvador and amateur Lloyd Go by five in one of his five victories in 2014 en route to annexing a third straight Order of Merit crown.

“It would be nice to head back to Marapara on a winning note,” said Lascuña, hinting at another explosive performance at BGCC.

The 46-year-old ace Davaoeño shotmaker is actually coming off a so-so finish in the Yeangder Players’ Championship in Taiwan where he wound up tied for 69th owing to an atrocious 80 in the third round. But his closing 69 last Sunday should give him some kind of momentum heading to tomorrow’s start of the Visayan swing of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

But a host of others will be out to foil his drive for a third straight title, including Salvador and fellow Davaoeños Jay Bayron, Rufino Bayron, Marvin Dumandan, Jhonnel Ababa, Mhark Fernando and Cassius Casas along with Ferdie Aunzo, Mars Pucay, Michael Bibat, Jun Bernis, Charles Hong, Justin Quiban and Orlan Sumcad.

Clyde Mondilla is also tipped to rebound from a poor joint 12th effort at Forest Hills with the 23-year-old rising Del Monte star raring to nail a follow-up to his back-to-back victories at Eastridge and Calatagan to match Lascuña’s three victories halfway through this year’s circuit backed by Custom Clubmakers, adidas, KZG, Summit Mineral Water, Srixon, Pacsports, TaylorMade, Sharp and Champion.
Robert Pactolerin also hopes to flash vintage form along with fellow Negrense Rey Pagunsan while Dutch Guido Van der Valk heads the compact foreign challenge that includes Dillon Soldwisch and Micah Shin of the US, Japanese Koichi Minami and Koreans Anthony Kim, Thomas Kim and Charlie Chang.