MANILA – Negrense golfer Juvic Pagunsan is the 13th Filipino to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after earning his qualification on Tuesday.
Pagunsan punched his first-ever Summer Games berth after finishing at 50th place in the latest Olympics golf ranking, where top 60 golfers will play in Tokyo. His recent championship in the 2021 Mizuno Open in Okayama, Japan, further strengthened his bid.
“It’s an honor to be able to fight on behalf of the country,” Pagunsan said in a previous interview with Golf Digest Japan.
The 43-year-old golfer is the oldest among the Olympics-qualified Filipino athlete.
However, his qualification can also be a dilemma since the Summer Games’ schedule is few days after his 2021 British Open stint.
The 2021 British Open is on July 15 to 18 at Royal St. George’s Golf Course in Kent, England, while the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is scheduled from July 29 to August 7 in Tokyo, Japan.
If ever Pagunsan decided to forgo the Olympic slot, China’s Wu Ashun, Zhang Xinjun, or Li Haotong, or India’s Anirban Lahiri or Udayan Mane will replace him.
Meanwhile, Filipina golfers Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan will formalize their Tokyo Olympics qualification at the close of the qualification period for women’s golf on June 28./PN
