The best of PGA of Taiwan and the top guns of Philippine Golf Tour Asia slug it out in what promises to be a slam-bang start to the Daan Taiwan Open beginning today (Thursday, May 23) at the Ching Chuan Kang Golf Club in Taichung.
While the hosts are expected to cash in one their local knowledge of the par-72 layout, the Philippine-based shotmakers are all geared up for four days of battle in shotmaking, iron play and putting not only for top honors but also for bragging rights as the winner of the first PGT Asia event held overseas.
The $100,000 championship is actually the first of two PGT Asia tournaments set in Taiwan with the Nan Pao TPGA Open slated on Sept. 26-29 at Nan Pao Golf Club in Tainan City. It also serves as the second leg of PGTA’s third season with the sponsoring ICTSI and organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. lining up a third tournament abroad and talks to hold future legs in other pars of Asia, including Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia are also ongoing.
Thai Namchok Tantipokhakul, who topped the PGTA’s kickoff leg at Luisita last month, heads the talent-laden PGTA bets who include Jay Bayron, the lone Filipino entry in the elite roster that also drew shotmakers from the US, Sweden, Australia, Colombia, Scotland, Malaysia, Argentina, South Africa and Korea.
Multi-titled Tony Lascuña is actually set to help anchor the country’s bid in the event but withdrew at the last minute due to hand injury while the other Pinoy aces—Angelo Que and Juvic Pagunsan—have committed to play in the Japan PGA Tour also starting today and inaugural PGTA Order of Merit champion Miguel Tabuena is vying in the European Tour in Denmark.
But the PGTA cast remains as formidable as ever with Kammalas Namuangruk, Natthapong Niyomchon and Donlapatchai Niyomchon, also from Thailand, along with Marcos Pastor of Spain, Singapore’s Choo Tze Huang and Japanese Keita Sudo ready for a shootout with the TPGA aces.
The Taiwanese will be headed by the TPGA’s current OOM leader Lin Guanbo with joint No. 2 Lu Weizhi and Wang Weilun, and Song Mengyu, Zhan Yixin and Qiu Wei, who share the No. 4 spot, backstopping the hosts’ title drive in the event serving as the third leg of TPGA.
Other local aces vying for the top $17,500 purse are No. 7 Wang Congjie, and joint ninth-running Yu Yuchen and Zhang Zheyu along with Xu Lipeng, Hong Jianwei, Lin Wentang, Ye Weizhi, Takato and He Youcheng while the PGTA cast includes Thais WIsut Artjanawat, Thammasack Bouahom, Wongsakorn Choowong, Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, Jaturon Duangphaichoom, Pasavee Lertvilai, Nirun Sae-ueng and Panuwat Muenlek, Singapore’s Vikkash Babu, Gabriel Cheok and Deng Shan Koh.
Aussies Jack Lane Weston and Sam Gervinas, South African Luke Trocado, Swede Fredrik From, Malaysian Kai Jei Low,Colombia’s Mateo Gomez and Sebastian Lopez, Charles Lee and Tarik Can of the US and Japanese Keisuke Takahashi, Ikeda Yu and Seiji Yanagisawa.
