With sky-high confidence, Arbole eyes another crown in Iloilo

MANILA, Philippines -- Art Arbole’s confidence is soaring after finally ending a 14-year title drought – and for a change, he knows he won’t be sneaking up on anybody.

The newly crowned ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic champion embraces the bullseye as the Philippine Golf Tour shifts to Iloilo, where he expects the Tour’s big guns, seasoned campaigners and emerging stars to come after him when the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge gets going on September 29 at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club.

But Arbole says he is feeling more determined than nervous, buoyed by the belief that his breakthrough victory has finally erased the doubts that had lingered through years of near-misses.

“Cloud 9 pa rin ang pakiramdam ko. Yung confidence ko mas tumaas kasi dati parang may takot ako na wala pa ding mangyayari sa laro ko,” said Arbole, who put together one of the most complete performances of his career in Negros.

The Del Monte native, now based in Canlubang, bucked the odds in dramatic fashion, overcoming a shaky stretch that saw him surrender a one-stroke lead and fall three shots behind former Order of Merit winner Jhonnel Ababa.

Instead of folding, Arbole responded with a birdie barrage from No. 9 that turned the tide and put him back in command. He then held off last year’s South Pacific leg winner Jeffren Lumbo in a thrilling stretch-run duel to claim his first PGT title.

The manner of the victory may have been as significant as the breakthrough itself.

Arbole’s driving was crisp, his iron play and woods were on point, and his putting held firm the pressure mounted – all the pieces of his game finally clicking at the same time.

Now comes the harder part: proving it was no one-week flash of brilliance.

“Sana dito sa Iloilo, maging maganda pa din ang ipakita ko,” he said.

That quest begins on a course that could demand an entirely different brand of golf.

The former Santa Barbara layout is tight and tricky, much like Marapara, but its quirks and stern challenges can punish even the slightest lapse in concentration. It is the kind of venue that can test patience as much as shot-making, with the premium likely to be on precision, course management and the ability to stay composed when birdies are hard to come by.

And this time, Arbole will have a much larger target on his back.

Among those looking to derail his bid for back-to-back titles are Ababa, Tony Lascuña, Clyde Mondilla, Rupert Zaragosa, Reymon Jaraula, Guido van der Valk, Lumbo and Zanieboy Gialon.

Gialon, in particular, returns to a venue where he has already left his mark, having dominated the last Iloilo Challenge in 2024. He won by six strokes over Angelo Que and Ira Alido.

Que, meanwhile, will be eager to bounce back after settling for joint 13th in Negros. The reigning Order of Merit winner and a two-leg champion this season had entered the previous event with momentum after ruling the PGT stop at Summit Point, only to come away with a result below his usual lofty standards.

The chase in the P2.5-million championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. and serving as the seventh leg of this year’s Tour is further deepened by Russell Bautista, Collin Wheeler, Michael Bibat, Dino Villanueva, Ryan Monsalve, Gabriel Manotoc, Arnold Villacencio, Elee Bisera, Kim Tae Soo, Nilo Salahog, Jay Bayron, Mars Pucay and Gerald Rosales. (Pool story)