Pagunsan all in for Olympic bid
FILIPINO golfer Juvic Pagunsan is excited to compete in the Olympic Games in Tokyo next month and make the most of the opportunity presented to him.
The 43-year-old Pagunsan officially qualified for the rescheduled Games early this week, becoming one of the currently 15 Filipino athletes who have.
He gained qualification being among the top 60 players in the men’s rankings. Mr. Pagunsan is ranked at 49th at the moment, built on solid showing in the professional circuit. He recently won the Mizuno Open in Japan.
“I am pretty excited to represent the Philippines. Who knows, we may get lucky in the Olympics,” Mr. Pagunsan wrote on a social media post.
Committed to the Olympics Mr. Pagunsan is, he will skip participating in the British Open set for early July to concentrate on his preparation for the Tokyo Games.
Mr. Pagunsan is one of three golfers the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) is expecting to see action in the Olympics this year.
The two are US Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso and Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games gold winner Bianca Pagdanganan, who are also in the top 60 in their division. Ms. Saso is at number nine and Ms. Pagdanganan at 42.
Golf will be played for the second straight Olympics in Japan. The Tokyo Olympics golf competitions are scheduled from July 29 to Aug. 7 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
