JUVIC Pagunsan fired a 65 yesterday, good for a three-way tie for fifth place, to wheel into early contention after the opening round of the rain-delayed Olympic men’s golf competitions at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, Japan.
Staying focused despite an hour’s delay due to a mid-afternoon downpour, Pagunsan waxed hot in the backnine with birdies on the 11th, 13th and 16th holes over the par-71, 6,809-yard course located just north on the outskirts of the Japanese capital.
Together with his 34 on the frontnine, the Filipino pro, along with Dane Joachim Hansen and Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas, was just three shots behind unheralded Austrian Sepp Straka, who shot a bogey-free 63 spiked by eight birdies to nurse a one-shot lead over Thai Jane Wattanond.
A double gold medalist in the 2005 Philippine Southeast Asian Games, Pagunsan kicked off his Olympic campaign with a birdie on the opening hole, stumbled with a bogey three holes later, before gunning down birdies on the sixth and eighth holes for 2-under 34 on the front.
After his fourth birdie on No. 11, the Pinoy pro and the rest of the 60-man field who were still playing were forced to cool their heels as play was halted by organizers for about an hour due to the heavy rains over the bunker-laden layout.
Among those that Pagunsan, the 2011 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, surpassed in the first round were newly-crowned British Open champion Collin Morikawa of the US and four-time major champ Rory McIlroy of Ireland, who were in an 11-way deadlock in 20th place at 69.
He is the second male golfer to represent the country in the Olympics after Miguel Tabuena saw action in the Rio Games in 2016.
