CAVINTI, Laguna — Proving that experience and course management can completely outclass raw power, veteran golfer Tony Lascuña has taken early control of the leaderboard. The 55-year-old sports icon fired a flawless, bogey-free eight-under-par 64 on Tuesday to claim a two-stroke lead at the opening of the ₱2.5 million ICTSI Caliraya Springs Championship.
The hot performance puts the five-time Order of Merit winner in prime position as he chases his first Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) title since winning at Splendido Taal in 2024.
The rolling layout of the Caliraya Springs Golf Club turned into a scoring haven thanks to ideal, overcast weather conditions and a temporary break from the venue’s notoriously heavy winds. Despite giving up 50 to 60 yards off the tee to the tour’s younger long-hitters, Lascuña dominated using precision shot-making:
- The Flawless Scorecard: Lascuña split his brilliant round perfectly, carding matching scores of 32 on both the front and back nine while firing a total of eight birdies.
- The Technical Edge: Relying heavily on his trusted fairway woods and a newly acquired set of Srixon irons, he hit every single fairway and green in regulation, needing a mere 28 putts to close out the round.
- The Rule Variant: Scoring across the board was heavily aided by the activation of the lift-clean-and-place rule, implemented by officials due to uneven fairway patches caused by the preceding summer heat waves.
[ LASCUÑA'S ROUND 1 BREAKDOWN ]
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[ THE METRICS ] [ THE DEFENSE ]
• Score: 8-Under-Par 64 • Relied on course management over distance.
• Putts: 28 total putts. • Left long-hitters chasing his lead.
• Mistakes: 0 Bogeys (Flawless). • Hit 100% of fairways and greens.
While Lascuña’s masterclass stole the opening day headlines, a fiercely competitive group of multi-titled champions finished right on his heels, promising a tight battle heading into the 36-hole cut line:
| Position | Player | Score | Round Highlights & Small Mistakes |
| 1st | Tony Lascuña | 64 (-8) | Bogey-free round; birdied 4 of the first 7 holes. |
| T2nd | Angelo Que | 66 (-6) | Reigning Order of Merit holder; carded an eagle on No. 4 but stumbled with a bogey on the 18th. |
| T2nd | Clyde Mondilla | 66 (-6) | Closed with a birdie-bogey-birdie stretch; lamented several missed short putts. |
| T4th | Keanu Jahns | 67 (-5) | Defending champion; hit an eagle on No. 4 but suffered a double-bogey on the par-3 11th. |
| T4th | Fidel Concepcion | 67 (-5) | Maintained a steady card to stay within 3 shots of the lead. |
“I suddenly feel young. It’s been a long time since I shot this low; it’s exhausting but the conditions were great… I just hope my putting stays on point through the final round.” — Tony Lascuña
With 35 total players cracking under-par scores and 11 more matching even-par 72s on the low-scoring opening day, the race for the top 40 spots (and ties) advancing to the final two rounds of this 10-leg circuit leg is shaping up to be incredibly tight.