The Philippine Golf Tour and the Ladies PGT wrap up their 10-leg course-hopping season fittingly on a layout that favors no particular player as the Mimosa Plus Golf Course hosts the country’s premier circuit for the very first time for the ICTSI Mimosa Plus Championship on Sept. 26-29 at Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.
The organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. could not have picked a better venue to mark a successful first full season in post-pandemic than Mimosa Plus, whose sprawling complex boasts of two championship courses, including the scenic Acacia Lakeview which will stage the upcoming two events featuring the country’s top pros and leading amateurs.
Now under the supervision of Filinvest Development Corp., Mimosa Plus, which also features the Mountain View course, can be as tough as any of the country’s top championship layouts for its sheer length but its undulating terrain, menacing bunkers and sloping greens are expected to add up to the challenge, thus making it an anybody’s race, particularly in the presence of the wind.
The Mimosa Plus also offers spectacular scenery other courses don’t with the view of the Zambales mountain range and Mt. Arayat never running out of sight since both courses are set against stunning foothill mountains and luscious greens of plants and age-old Acacia trees.
With the pros in competitive form coming off the two-leg Mindanao swing, a furious scoring battle looms in both the P2.5 million PGT to be disputed over 72 holes, and the 54-hole LPGT, which offers a total prize fund of P1 million.
The PGT produced eight different winners in nine tournaments while seven victors emerged after the nine-leg LPGT with Harmie Constantino and Daniella Uy posting two victories each at Luisita-Villamor, and Forest Hills-Del Monte, respectively.
But while Justin Quiban won’t be around to go for a follow-up to his thrilling victory over Marvin Dumandan that needed four extra holes to finish at South Pacific in Davao, Florence Bisera is all geared up for another title run after nailing her first victory last week.
Quiban is scheduled to play in an Asian Development Tour event also slated next week in Indonesia. Also listed in the 54-hole $70,000 OB Golf Championship is Lloyd Go with Gab Manotoc on the reserved list.
Clyde Mondilla, the only two-leg winner (Forest Hills and Del Monte) this year, and Bacolod leg champion Ira Alido are also skipping next week’s event to spearhead the country’s campaign in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
But Dumandan is raring to settle an unfinished business after coming up short in his bid to end a long title spell at South Pacific with Iloilo leg titlist Rupert Zaragosa, Caliraya Springs champion Tony Lascuña, Villamor Philippines Masters winner Jhonnel Ababa, Reymon Jaraula, who topped the Valley leg, all eyeing to close out the season on a winning mode.