Tarlac—The Philippine Golf Tour Asia resumes today (Tuesday, Oct. 23) with the CAT (Central Azucarera de Tarlac) Open featuring a stellar field bannered by the local top guns and toughened up by a slew of foreign aces all primed up for the $100,000 event at the Luisita Golf and Country Club here.
Sam Gillis, for one, exudes confidence coming off a playoff victory in Malaysia last week, leading a crack US contingent that includes regular PGTA campaigners John Michael O’Toole, Lexus Keoninh, Nicolas Paez, Andy Kang, Sydney Chung, Charles Lee, Cory Oride, Pete Vilairatana and Joshua Salah.
The Australians will be as much tested as the Americans with the likes of Tim Stewart, Nathan Park, Jack Sullivan, Nabil Abdul, Jeram Chudleigh, Calum Juniper and Simon Vitankangas setting out to keep their compatriots’ remarkable showing in the first five legs of the second season of the region’s newest circuit put up by ICTSI.
David Gleeson nipped local bet Erwin Arcillas in a playoff to rule the PGTA’s kickoff leg here last April while Damien Jordan dominated the Aboitiz Invitational at Orchard last month, victories that should serve as impetus for Stewart and company to accomplish their mission this week.
Stewart actually fell short of his title bid in last week’s ICTSI Luisita Invitational won by Clyde Mondilla, finishing tied for second with Macedonian Peter Stojanovski, another foreign ace tipped to contend for the $17,500 purse in the 72-hole championship serving as the sixth leg of this year’s PGTA put up to raise the level of the Filipino golfers’ games and at the same time make the country a major golfing destination.
O’Toole also finished second to Jay Bayron in PGTA Southwoods last June with the 25-year-old American raring to finally end a string of heartbreakers in the local circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. and backed by ICTSI, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Champion, Summit Mineral Water, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc.
While Mondilla has hinted at the locals’ domination of the event owing to their local knowledge and form, the 51-player strong foreign contingent is also ready to slug it out with the Filipino top guns, guaranteeing a fierce duel of shotmaking, iron play and putting on a course that puts premium on accuracy.
Gillis, meanwhile, hopes to cash in on an early start to get his title bid going as he mixes it up with Johvanie Abaño and Korean Lee Sangun at 7 a.m. on No. 1 with O’Toole drawing Bayron and Albin Engino in the 7:40 a.m. group, also on the opening hole.
Mondilla drew a late start at 11:40 a.m. on No. 1 with Englishman Matt Killen and Reymon Jaraula, hoping to duplicate his record-setting 64 in kicking off his title romp here last week.
Justin Quiban, who nailed his breakthrough win in his event last year, opens his title-retention drive at 7:50 a.m. on No. 1 against Keanu Jahns and Tawit Polthai, one of the five Thais also expected to figure in the title race along with veteran campaigner Wisut Artjanawat and Nirun Sae-ueng.