Que heads RP challenge in Asian Tour

MANILA, Philippines - Angelo Que heads a nine-man RP team in the Asian Tour International, the kick off leg of the Asian Tour 2010 season, which fires off today at the Suwan Golf and Country Club in Thailand.

Fresh from his victory in The Country Club Invitational last weekend, Que is hopeful of dishing out a solid game that could merit a crack at the top $47,550 (around P2.1 million) purse.

“I think I’m ready,” said Que, out to improve his joint 43rd finish in the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit ranking last year. “I know I have improved a lot in the last three years, especially in the mental aspect of the game.”

Joining Que in the title hunt are Juvic Pagunsan, who finished joint third last year and the top Filipino finisher at 16th in last year’s Order of Merit ranking, Frankie Miñoza, Artemio Murakami, Tony Lascuna, Jay Bayron, Marvin Dumandan, Ferdie Aunzo and Mars Pucay.

Que tees off at 7:50 a.m. on No. 10 in the group of Thai Panuwat Muenlek and Sam Osborne; Pagunsan follows next at 8 a.m. with Kwanchai Tannin and Toshimasa Nakajima; Miñoza is bunched with Gavin Flint and Han Seung-su at 8:50 a.m. on No.1; Murakami starts at 7:20 a.m. on No. 10 alongside Simon Dunn and Himmat Raj.

Lascuña joins Martin Rominger and Pavit Tangkamolprasert at 8:30 a.m. on No. 10, Bayron is set at 7 a.m. on No. 10 with Sattaya Supupramai and Jason King; Dumandan is pitted against Oscar Fraustro and Kim Dae-hyun at 8:40 a.m. on No. 10; Aunzo tees off on the first tee at 7:10 a.m. with David Johnson.

 and Wisut Artjanawat; while Pucay drew an afternoon tee-time at 1 p.m. on No. 10 with Boonchu Ruangkit and Yeh Chang-ting.

James Kamte of South Africa will defend his title against Asia’s top players, including reigning Asian Tour OOM winner Thongchai Jaidee, former number one Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, Japan’s Daisuke Maruyama, Australian Marcus Both and Singaporean Mardan Mamat.

Over the next 11 months, the Tour will travel to as far as Switzerland for the Omega European Masters, co-sanctioned with the European Tour, and to the Far East in Japan for the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open which is co-sanctioned with the Japan Golf Tour.