ANTIPOLO – They’re all right here.
From seasoned veterans like Angelo Que, Tony Lascuña and Guido van der Valk, to in-form challengers similar to Aidric Chan and Carl Corpus, to promising younger internationalists Sean Ramos and Lloyd Go, and the ever-reliable Keanu Jahns, Reymon Jaraula and Rupert Zaragosa.
Add to the combination Jhonnel Ababa, Ira Alido, Zanieboy Gialon, Hyun Ho Rho and Mike Bibat – a different mix of youth and expertise – and the stage is about for a compelling showdown within the P2 million ICTSI Valley Golf Problem, which unwraps Tuesday at Valley Golf’s South course.
However this isn’t only a battle of energy and precision – it’s a take a look at of composure and technique, particularly on a course reshaped by final week’s rains introduced by a tropical storm. In such exacting situations, the place the course performs longer and the margins develop thinner, count on chaos – and brilliance.
That ought to make the title race extensive open. With so many contenders in peak type, a single second might determine all of it: a daring play over the water, a nerveless birdie putt, or a clutch par save from the sand on the 72nd gap to steal the win. The mixture of a star-studded discipline and the difficult terrain might very nicely produce probably the most dramatic finishes of the season.
Van der Valk, who snapped an extended title drought with a one-stroke escape over Jahns and Que at Forest Hills final month, is using a wave of confidence and momentum into the P2 million championship, the fourth leg of this 12 months’s Philippine Golf Tour sponsored by ICTSI.
However Que, denied a uncommon treble after profitable the primary two legs at Pradera Verde and Eagle Ridge in contrasting style, is hungry to get again on the winner’s board.
Lascuña, identified for thriving in robust, storm-affected situations, is likewise a marked man within the 72-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. He’s decided to finish a gradual begin to his season, having positioned thirteenth at Pradera, tied for sixth at Eagle Ridge, and slipped to twenty fifth at Forest Hills. The four-time PGT Order of Benefit champion stays a menace each time the going will get robust.
However the highlight additionally shines brightly on cousins Chan and Corpus, whose current back-to-back breakthroughs on the Asian Improvement Tour in Morocco have vaulted them into the dialog. How these worldwide victories form their mindset, confidence and efficiency on house soil might be carefully watched.
In the meantime, Go and Ramos return from abroad stints – Go from Japan, Ramos from the ADT and Asian Tour – and purpose to translate worldwide expertise into a powerful native push. However with such a deep discipline of hungry stars and battle-tested campaigners, it can take greater than pedigree to hoist the trophy this week.
Jaraula, for one, is out to reclaim his mastery of the South course, the place he dominated in 2023, profitable by 5 strokes over Go. He’s additionally seeking to finish a droop after failing to crack the highest 10 in current legs. Nonetheless, his familiarity with the structure and confirmed capacity to overcome it make him a darkish horse.
And with all indicators pointing to a course that calls for endurance, precision and nerves of metal, the Valley Golf Problem might culminate in a nail-biting end. With a lot expertise within the hunt and the course primed to punish the slightest misstep, count on momentum swings, leaderboard shuffles, and late-round drama.