FILIPINO GOLFER Juvic Pagunsan swung into his Olympic debut earlier today in the first round of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Golf’s Men’s Individual Stroke Play at the Kasumigaseki Country Club. By the end of the round, Pagunsan finished fifth with a 5-under par 66, placing him level with Denmark’s Joachim B. Hansen and Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas on the leaderboard.

The 43-year-old started strong as he completed his first hole with a birdie. Pagunsan would later slip in the rankings after a bogey at Hole 4, which dropped his standing to 40th place. However, he managed to recover in the match with a par at Hole 5. Pagunsan was able to end his front nine with two more birdies in the sixth and eighth holes.

Heavy rainfall momentarily suspended the tournament just when Pagunsan was set to complete his 11th hole. As the match continued, he kept his play steady after firing three more birdies in the 11th, 13th, and 16th holes.

The Bacolod native Pagunsan capped off the beginning of his Olympic campaign managing six birdies overall, landing him inside the top 10 of the opening round of the Tokyo Olympics Men’s Event. He is three strokes behind Austrian tournament leader Sepp Straka, who finished with an 8-under par 63.

Pagunsan continues his Olympic stint tomorrow at 8:00 AM Manila Time during Round 2 of the Men’s Individual Stroke Play at the Kasumigaseki Country Club.