Pinoy Golfer Blog

As this is written Antonio “Onyot” Lascuña has all but won the Order of Merit on the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour. This is the cherry on top of a truly remarkable season for the affable professional from Davao City who earlier in the month finished 12th on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit after playing just 15 events.

The success is well deserved and couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Lascuña is one of the most pleasant and most approachable of our local golf professionals. He has a ready smile and a pleasant word for everyone he meets. He is truly one of the good guys in Philippine golf.

He also possesses one of the best golf games in the country. I’ve periodically described Onyot’s style of play as “steady Eddie”; he’s usually in the fairway and always in position to score. He has a superb short game and after a short bout of indecisiveness with the flat stick is now one of the finest putters in the country. He has not been out of the top 3 in any of the tournaments he’s played on the Philippine Golf Tour; a testament to his consistency.

Even more remarkable is the fact that he felt compelled to make a small change to his golf swing. With the help of Manila Southwoods teaching professional J3 Altea, Lascuña now stands a bit shorter up to the ball and swings more around his body. He did this to better keep the club on plane throughout his golf swing. The results show.

Walking with Onyot, Miguel Tabuena and the legend, Frankie Miñoza yesterday at Wack Wack’s notoriously difficult East Course, I watched in amazement as Lascuña methodically picked the course apart with 6 birdies (including three in a row on 16, 17 and 18) against 1 lone bogey. It wasn’t a bad bogey either. After putting his ball in perfect position on the short treacherous 7th hole, he hit a crisp wedge just below the pin which spun straight back into the water hazard fronting the green. He signed for a 5-under par 67 and a 6-shot lead over Angelo Que and his closest pursuer on the Philippine Golf Tour’s Order of Merit, Elmer Salvador. He’s going to have to screw up big time to give the others any hope of catching him and knowing Onyot, that just isn’t going to happen.

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