Ericsson-Smart Zed Classic on

Reigning Philippine Open champion Gerald Rosales made a last-minute withdrawal but the depth of the field remains as talent-laden as ever as the rich Ericsson-Smart Zed Sherwood Hills Classic fires off today at the challenging Sherwood Golf and Country Club course in Trece Martinez, Cavite.

A nagging right wrist injury forced Rosales to pull out of the P700,000 tournament where he was expected to lead the chase for top honors with fellow Asian PGA Tour regulars Cassius Casas, Rodrigo Cuello and Danny Zarate with the APGA Tour taking a break this week.

But the absence of Rosales will not in any way affect the strength of the 74-player field as Casas, Cuello, Zarate plus the likes of Richard Sinfuego, the John Hay Open winner, Tony Lascuna, Cesar Ababa and Canadian Rick Gibson are expected to battle it out for the top P100,000 purse over a course which varies in character in every swirl of the wind.

"I know the course but there are so many good players out there that make winning here so difficult," said Casas, who will try to break out of a minor slump.

The pros will be playing alongside invitees from the sponsoring Ericsson and Smart, members of the diplomatic corps and other VIPs in the accompanying 36-hole pro-am competition.

Bantam Ben Arda, the living legend whose story inspired so many others to pursue a career in golf, provides some kind of a nostalgia as he joins his old friends for the 36-hole College Assurance Plan Seniors Challenge as a special guest of the organizers.

"It’s just a special week for the tour, a reunion not just of the best pros in the country but even big companies like Smart and Ericsson all for the love of golf," said Philippine Tour chair Bob Sobrepeña.

Arda will join Sobrepeña, Ericsson president Robert Etteborn and Telecoms Specialist, Inc. president Greg Atienza in hitting the ceremonial balls prior to the 8:30 a.m. shotgun tee-off.

Also backing the event are CAP, the Fil Estate Group of Companies La Paz Holding & Dev’t. Corp. and Metro Rail Transit.

While the first two winners (Rey Pagunsan with 14-under at the MRT-Southwoods Open and Sinfuego with 11-under at Camp John Hay) have tallied low scores, the unpredictable conditions at Sherwood is expected to make the pros a bit conservative.

Mario Siodina and Roger Antonio, the two former World Cuppers, who had won the first two leg of the seniors competition, are again favored to slug it out for top honors and the P20,000 prize that goes with it.