Emphasis will be on power as the long hitters from the stellar international field gear up for an all-out assault on the Pradera Verde layout in today’s (Wednesday, Jan. 16) start of the $100,000 ICTSI Pradera Verde Classic in Lubao, Pampanga.
Five players try to become the first two-leg winner on the second season of the Philippine Golf Tour Asia with Damien Jordan (Aboitiz Invitational) and fellow Aussie David Gleeson (Luisita), Jhonnel Ababa (Forest Hills), Jay Bayron (Southwoods) and James Ryan Lam (CAT Open) all coming into the ICTSI-sponsored event upbeat of their respective chances.
“I feel good, confident after winning the Aboitiz Invitational,” said Jordan ahead of his expected explosive showdown with Bayron and Lam in one of the featured flights at 7:50 a.m. on No. 1.
The Aussie ace, however, is wary of the heat and a windy week at the flat, hazard-laden course while others expressed concern over the layout’s last line of defense.
“The course is tough. The greens are unreceptive and sleek,” said Ababa, out to defend the crown he won by two over Aussie Andrew Campbell last year.
“But I’m ready. If I lead in the first two rounds, I feel I can win it the second time,” said winningest player on PGT Asia (with three victories), who drew Dutch Guido Van der Valk and Erwin Arcillas in the 8:10 a.m. flight on No. 10.
Clyde Mondilla, who averted a winless 2018 with a victory at PGT’s Luisita Championship last October, also exudes confidence following a successful stint in the recent Asian Tour Qualifying School where he tied for 16th to earn a full card status.
“Coming from the Q-School, I feel confident of my chances,” said the soft-spoken Mondilla who kept himself in shape through regular practice in his hometown in Bukidnon.
The 2017 PGT Order of Merit titlist is paired with Thai Tawit Polthai and Nilo Salahog at 8 a.m., also on the first hole. Other top pairings include Gleeson with Thai Wisut Artjanawat and Ira Alido at 7:40 a.m. and Tony Lascuña, Thai Pasavee Lertvilai and Justin Quiban at 8:20 a.m. on No. 10.
Others tipped to contend for the top $17,500 purse in the 72-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Empire Golf and Sports and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc. are Thais Poosit Supupramai and Thammanoon Sriroj, Aussies Clayton Bridge, Nathan Park, Simon Viitakangas and Campbell, Sydney Chung, Dylan Jackson, Andy Kang and Lexus Keoninh of the US, Englishmen Benjamin David, Joe Knox and George Twyman, Keisuke Takahashi of Japan, Korean Hwang Myung Chal, Spain’s Salvador Paya Vila, Peter Stojanovski of Macedonia and Manila-based Dutchman Guido Van der Valk.
