ICTSI Tour Suspends Juvic Pagunsan for the rest of the season
From Inquirer.net
Juvic Pagunsan, the Order of Merit runaway leader with four wins in 10 legs of the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour, has been suspended for the remaining six legs of this year’s circuit.
The Philippine Golf Tournaments, Inc., organizer of the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour, sacked Pagunsan for breach of the PGT guidelines on professional conduct after his last-minute withdrawal from the recent Aboitiz Invitational presented by ICTSI in Cebu City.
A source said the crack golfer from Bacolod abandoned the Aboitiz tournament when organizers banned his personal caddy from carrying his bag during a practice round because he refused to register him as required by the Tour rules.
Pagunsan, the source added, later claimed an ailing foot was the reason for his withdrawal.
The Inquirer tried Sunday to get Pagunsan’s side on his suspension to no avail.
In suspending Pagunsan, Colo Ventosa, general manager of PGTI, cited Clause 10 of the PGT guidelines calling for the PGT to “maintain a strict ‘no tolerance’ policy on any behavior unbecoming of a professional.”
The provisions of the clause covers professional conduct, including failure to comply with appropriate etiquette, misbehavior, injurious conduct and other similar acts and omissions.
Before meting out the suspension, the PGTI conducted a thorough investigation on the complaints of Pagunsan’s actions and behavior.
ICTSI, Pagunsan’s corporate benefactor, also agreed to the suspension.
“As a professional golfer sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), you are expected to always conduct yourself in a professional manner as you are representing the ICTSI brand,” Ventosa said.
“Despite our guidance as your manager and promoter, and repeated stern verbal warnings on your acts in the past, our advice and instructions have fallen on deaf ears,” she added.
This news saddens me as Juvic is indubitably one of if not the best golfer in the country today. I’ve followed him since he was an amateur and I’ve always been in awe of his game and his seemingly unbounded potential. On the other hand, there is no room in this gentleman’s game for behavior such as this.
I’ve also been witness to some of his other transgressions on Tour. At the ICTSI Forest Hills Invitational in 2010, Pagunsan already upset with how difficult the course was to walk (in spite of numerous shuttles provided by the tour to ferry players and caddies up the most difficult of ascents) was further disturbed by a member of one of the networks’ TV crews on the 11th tee as he was about to tee off. He summarily walked off the golf course and did not finish his round. Then earlier this year at the ICTSI Negros Occidental Championship at Marapara, Juvic got into a dispute with his caddy about the read on the long par 3 16th hole. After he putted out, he sent his caddy back to the clubhouse and carried his bag for the remainder of his round. Then there was the incident at the Aboitiz Invitational this year.
In my opinion the suspension is what was needed. It is patently unfair to the other golfers that abide by the rules of golf and of the Philippine Golf Tour day and to the code of conduct that the game prescribes. No one is above the rules. No one. The fact that it took this long for the Tour to mete down his punishment indicative of just how much slack was cut him as one of golf’s leading lights. In the end, Pagunsan’s reticence to change his ways was his undoing.
I think it tragic that the most talented golfer in the country today is given to such issues. With a different attitude and approach to the game, there is no telling just how good he could be. I can only hope and pray that the disciplinary action meted down on him by the Tour has the desired effect. It would be an utter shame and a disservice to himself if he continues down the same path he currently walks.
I hope for his sake and that of golf in the country, that he sees the error of his ways. This is a situation where
Read the whole story on:http://pinoygolfer.com
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