That’s how Juvic Pagunsan turned his Asian Tour fortunes with the smooth-swinging Filipino needing just one big tournament to complete the amazing feat so late in the season.
He didn’t win the rich Singapore Open but his runner-up finish – a loss to Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez Castano worth $666,660 (P28 million) – proved enough to lift him to the coveted Order of Merit crown with a haul of $788,298.
He didn’t only keep his Tour card but also gained exempt status in next year’s British Open, one of the majors, and the World Golf Championship which features the world’s elite.
“I’m definitely looking forward to playing in the British Open. It will be my first time and it will be exciting. I want to play with all the top European and PGA Tour players. Without the Asian Tour there would be no way I could ever think of playing in the British Open,” said Pagunsan.
He thus became the second Filipino to reign in the region after Frankie Miñoza lorded it over the field in 1990.
“I’m very happy to win this prestigious award. Honestly, I’m shocked that I’ve won it but it is a fantastic feeling. I’m glad I’ve been given this opportunity to win such an honor. Without the Asian Tour there’s no Juvic Pagunsan,” he said.
To cap his brilliant year, Pagunsan also earned the nods of his fellow Asian Tour players, who voted him as the Players’ Player of the Year.
Quite a feat indeed for a player whose only concern before the Singapore Open was to keep his Tour card.
“Before the Singapore Open, I was down on the Order of Merit and my card wasn’t safe for 2012 so I told myself I needed to focus more and push myself to the limits. I’m glad it worked out,” said Pagunsan, who also won the local OOM crown on the strength of his four victories on the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour despite his suspension in the last five legs of the circuit.
With his Asian Tour feat, Pagunsan’s name will be etched alongside past Asian Tour No. 1, including multiple winners Thongchai Jaidee and Jeev Milkha Singh, 2010 Merit champion Noh Seung-yul of Korea, Arjun Atwal of India and Liang Wen-chong of China.
“There was a time in my career that I thought if I practiced hard enough, I would have been able to reach that peak that Thongchai and Jeev reached. And I did it. I sacrificed a lot this year. I practiced hard and it worked in my favor,” he said.
source by Philippine Star
