CLYDE Mondilla sets out for defense of his young career’s most memorable victory, hoping to put together in three weeks time a game that had seemed to break up early in the season.
A tied for 24th in The Country Club Invitational, a 56th finish in the Solaire Philippine Open and missed cut stints in the Eagle Ridge Challenge and the Delimondo National Pro-am do not augur well for a player eager to make it two-in-row in the ICTSI Villamor Philippine Masters unfolding on May 23.
But the reticent former national champion has vowed to do everything to get back in shape and regain the confidence he would need in his title-retention drive against a crack international field in the P2 million event put up by ICTSI in cooperation with the Villamor Golf Club, the home of the Masters.
“I just need to practice more to get back into shape and at the same time polish my short game and putting,” said Mondilla, who rallied to edge Tony Lascuña, Jhonnel Ababa and American Nicolas Paez by one and snare last year’s revival of one of local version’s four majors.
Meanwhile, Villamor is being spruced up in time for the blue-ribbon event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. and backed by BDO, KZG, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Sharp, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and PLDT.
Though Villamor looks vulnerable to the tour’s long hitters, particularly the young turks, the tree-lined military layout remains challenging even to the toughest in the fold with dangers lurking in every corner of the tight layout.
The Masters win also highlighted his four-victory romp last year, including the PGA Asia at Riviera that netted him the Philippine Golf Tour’s Order of Merit title.
But he will not only be rushing to regain his competitive form but will also be facing a formidable set of rivals, all raring to come out strong and fuel their respective title bids at resumption of the local circuit and the PGT Asia organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
They include Lascuña, Ababa and Paez, along with Zanieboy Gialon, Jay Bayron, Rene Menor, Michael Bibat, Elmer Salvador, Dutch Guido Van der Valk, Ferdie Aunzo, James Lam, Rufino Bayron, Mhark Fernando and Justin Quiban.
Jobim Carlos, who finally scored a breakthrough with a victory in last week’s pro-am with DJ Padilla, now trains his sights on the individual plum with the likes of Jun Bernis, Mars Pucay, Jelbert Gamolo and Marvin Dumandan also joining the title hunt.
Other foreign aces tipped to crowd the local top guns are American Lexus Neoninh, Peter Stojanovski of Macedonia, Tim Stewart of Australia, Korean Lee Hyun Jun, Canada’s Lindsey Renolds and Taisei Mochia of Japan.