With two of the last three Philippine Golf Tour legs decided by one stroke and the other by two, the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Iloilo Golf Challenge is shaping up for another tense and unpredictable finish.
The P2.5-million championship gets going on Tuesday at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club here, with a deep field led by Angelo Que, seeking a third title this season.
‘I’m just out here to have fun since, you know, I like this golf course. It’s a thinking course,’ Que, the Caliraya Springs and Summit Point champion who last week finished tied for 12th in Negros Occidental following a stint in Taiwan.
Eyes will also be on Art Arbole, who topped Marapara for his first title since turning pro 14 years ago.
Zanieboy Gialon also has a special reason to feel confident on a course where he produced one of his most impressive victories. Two years ago, he turned what had been billed as a final-round shootout into a runaway six-shot triumph over Que and Ira Alido.
After finishing fourth in Negros, Gialon now hopes to end a two-year winless stretch and reclaim the title at the country’s oldest golf course.
Former Order of Merit winner Jhonnel Ababa, meanwhile, is seeking redemption after his late collapse in Negros.
Ababa shared the first-round lead with Arbole, remained just one stroke behind after the next two rounds and then surged ahead early in the final round. But a costly back-nine meltdown, coupled with Arbole’s late charge, allowed the latter to regain control.
Clyde Mondilla, Tony Lascuña, Reymon Jaraula, Rupert Zaragosa, Jay Bayron and Guido van der Valk – all multi-titled campaigners still looking for their first victory of the season – add even more uncertainty to an already crowded title picture in the seventh leg of the 10-stage circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
‘The fairways are tight, no power advantage, and it’s difficult to attack the greens. So, you have to play the position. The rough is thick, so you need to be accurate off the tee,’ Mondilla said.
Asian Tour mainstay Justin Quiban also takes advantage of a break from the region’s premier circuit due to the Asian Games competitions in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. He further strengthens the field while seeking his second PGT victory of the year after winning the season-opening Lakewood Championship in come-from-behind fashion last March.
Then there are the hungry contenders – Dino Villanueva, Elee Bisera and Nilo Salahog – along with young guns Gab Manotoc, Ryan Monsalve, Kristoffer Arevalo, Leandro Bagtas, Josh Jorge and Jonas Magcalayo, plus Fil-Ams Ivan Yabut and Jeremy Tandoy.
A slew of foreign bidders also seek the spotlight, led by Kim Tae Soo, Lee Song, Miki Ryoma, Jisung Cheon, Hyun Jin Youn and Kim Tae Won.