Golf: Juvic Pagunsan studying well for the British Open

Playing as a professional golfer is more than just improving skills and being physically fit.  It helps big time to prepare mentality by studying the venue course in advance.   That’s what Juvic Pagunsan has been doing the past week, watching old videos of The Open Championship (British Open, to most of us) in order to have a bird’s eye view of the Royal Lytham & St. Annes layout in England.                  The sweet-swinging Pagunsan, the first Filipino ever to win the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit title, is very excited to play The Open, a huge turnaround of focus from a few months ago when he declared that he will not participating at all, something that his critics berated him for.  But obviously guided by his new handlers in tow, he is now looking forward for his first Major.                  "A friend gave me a compact disc [CD] of past videos of The Open.  I think it will help me a lot.  I watched it, and it gave me a better idea about the golf course," said Pagunsan.  "I only thought about playing in Asia and all of the sudden, I have an exemption and it’s a big honor for me. "Without the Asian Tour, I wouldn’t have got the exemption," the 34-year-old added. Winning the prestigious Order of Merit crown, thanks largely to a second-place finish at the cash-rich Barclays Singapore Open and three other top-10s, came with some perks as Pagunsan earned exemptions into the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship in the United States and also The Open. However, odd as it may seem, Pagunsan initially thought of not showing up in The Open, simply because he hates long airplane travels.  In fact, he still feels sick after flying more than 20 hours to play at Doral in the US earlier this year.  He was 35th overal, which tied him with Asian Tour honorary member K.J. Choi of Korea, as the leading Asians in the star-studded field. "I hate long travels. That’s why I’ve played only in Asia.  I just don’t like to sit in a plane for too long.  But the Doral was a good experience. I saw so many good players from all over the world.  I played with Jason Day on the third day.  Those guys are different.  In my mind, I want to play good, play well in those big events and step up to their level," the Bacolod native also said. With Royal Lytham & St Annes likely to bare its teeth due to harsh weather conditions, Pagunsan will have to adjust to the cold weather and brace himself for a new and tough challenge.  And that includes packing thermal clothes to stay warm this week. "You need to change your ball flight … you need to wear thermal clothes as it could be cold," he continued.  "That’s [cold] a big problem for me. I always play in hot weather. This year, I’ve played a few times in Japan and when it gets cold, I’m playing bad. It’s a big adjustment." Pagunsan will be in a strong contingent of Asian Tour stars at The Open.  India’s Anirban Lahiri, Japan’s Kodai Ichihara, Singapore’s Mardan Mamat, Thai duo Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng, South African Jbe Kruger, India’s Jeev Milkha Singh and Australian Marcus Fraser.  Asian Tour honorary members Choi, Y.E. Yang and Vijay Singh are also in the elite field. - AMD, GMA News