Native professional golf season will get going with robust leg at Apo

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Golf Tour season will get off the bottom Tuesday with a really stern take a look at awaiting the proficient area because the P2.5 million ICTSI Apo Golf Traditional tees off in Davao, the place the tree-lined course has the tendency to favor a number of and punish reckless play.

“When you play it protected, you’ll be alright,” Guido Van Der Valk of The Netherlands stated after the pro-am occasion on Monday as the sphere obtained a sampling of Apo Golf’s bending, slender fairways and tough-to-read greens which have, over time, made the course one of many hardest exams within the land.

“I’ll be utilizing 4-iron off most tees, so much less errors,” former Philippine Open champion Clyde Mondilla, one of many longest hitters on tour, stated. “I simply can’t play an attacking sport right here, the fairways are so slender and the greens are tough.”

However there are those that received’t play it protected just because there are a handful who know the course just like the again of their palms, like Antonio Lascuna, the one four-time Order of Benefit winner who realized the sport right here.

There’s additionally Jonel Ababa, Jay Bayron and Elmer Salvador.

Even then, Lascuna just isn’t itemizing himself as a strong favourite regardless of coming off a formidable conquest of principally the identical area on the longer, wind-buffeted Nation Membership course in Laguna final month the place he beat Miguel Tabuena.

“We’ve got a slight edge, sure,” Lascuna stated, referring to the innate information of the par-72 format that he, Bayron, Ababa and Salvador have of the course. “However there are numerous robust gamers out right here, the younger ones. I’m previous now so I’ll simply play my sport.”

Apo Golf is lengthy thought of to be the hotbed of expertise within the nation, as anybody who performs nicely right here can play nicely virtually anyplace.

The problem is {that a} participant wants to have the ability to hit each shot to beat the course, and Van der Valk is aware of this.

“The principle factor about Apo is that each one the highest golfers within the nation come from this golf membership and so they’re all right here. So my chances are high fairly tough however will give it a strive,” stated the two-time The Nation Membership Invitational champion.

In the meantime, ex-national group standout Aidric Chan makes his professional debut within the males’s facet, whereas Lois Kaye Go and Mafy Singson begin their play-for-pay careers within the girls occasion that additionally will get going Tuesday however shall be for over 54 holes.

Chan topped Qualifying College at South Pacific final week and looms as one of many gamers to look at.