Top foreign bets here for Phl Am Open

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s top shotmakers brace for a showdown with crack Singapore and Malaysian squads as they vie for top honors in the Philippine Amateur Open Golf Championship presented by the MVP Sports Foundation at Wack Wack’s East Course on Monday.

Jerome Ng, Marc Ong and Thomas Tan and George Foo head the fancied Singapore side whose top player Gregory Foo will not be around to defend the crown due to previous commitments back home.

But the field remains as talent-laden as ever with former national champion Rupert Zaragosa and Jobim Carlos leading the local challenge in the centerpiece division of the annual event, the first of several tournaments lined up on the PLDT Group Philippine Amateur Tour.

A 54-hole women’s side of the tournament, which is also being backed by Pancake House, Titleist, PacSports, Golf Depot and Autohub, will tee off on Jan. 8.

The 19-year-old Carlos, on a golf scholarship at the University of San Francisco, returned to the country before the holidays and is in tip-top shape as he chases his first national title.

Others in the fold are rising stars Andres Saldana, Basti Lorenzo, LJ Go and Gabriel Manotoc together with several Korean expats playing out of various courses in the country.

Limited to a 70-player field, only the top 50 and ties will advance to the second round of the men’s play and after the third round, only the top 25 and ties will play in the last 18 holes. For the women, cut will be after the second round, with only the top 12 women and ties playing in the last 18 holes.