Carlos guns for Philippines Am Open title vs international field

MANILA, Philippines - Jobim Carlos sets out for the Philippine Amateur (Stroke Play) Open Golf Championship in top form, driven to cap a remarkable amateur career with a major victory against a talent-laden international field beginning today at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club in Gen. Trias, Cavite.

“It’s not really hard to be motivated in winning a national event. I just want to win as much as I can before turning pro,” said Carlos, who beat Rupert Zaragosa by three in last year’s staging of the annual event organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines also at the wind-raked Aoki course.

Carlos is wary of the field’s depth and the par-72 layout’s challenge, especially in the presence of the wind, stressing the need to dish out his best to emerge victorious again in the 72-hole championship, the kickoff leg of this year’s PLDT Group National Amateur Golf Tour.

“I expect to win but the key to it would be playing well in the wind,” said Carlos, who picked Zaragosa, Ira Alido and Jelbert Gamolo as the likely contenders for the championship in the event sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation, Smart, PLDT and Metro Pacific Investment Corp.

The former University of San Francisco standout also hopes to keep the momentum of his big win in last week’s NGAP National Doubles in partnership with Inigo Raymundo and retain the country’s premier amateur crown before joining the pro ranks next month.

But he will be up against one of the strongest fields ever assembled in the event, including local aces Aidric Chan, Jolo Magcalayo, Ivan Monsalve, Gab Manotoc, Dan Cruz, Lanz Uy, Raymart Tolentino, Carlo Villaroman and Weiwei Gao and foreign bets Tom Ferguson, Leon Philip D’Souza, Sim Seung Jae, Ko Myeong Hun, Jun Jhon, Lee Geon, Lim Su Min, Kang Dong Guk, Tom Kim, Toshinori Iwasaki and Christian Boshoff.

Focus will also be on the women’s side with Thailand Junior champion Yuka Saso and Harmie Constantino bannering the local challenge against Malaysians Nur Durriyah Damian and Genevieve Ling I-Rynn, Koreans Hwang Min Jeong, Koh Eun A, Jang Yun Ji and Lee Eun Kyung.

Also in the fold are NGAP National Doubles champions Regina de Guzman and Cassy Isagawa, Junia Gabasa, LK Go, Kristine Torralba, Laja Barro, Jona Magcalayo, Nikki Bruce, Nicole Abelar, Felicia Medalla, Riko Nagai and former Junior World champion Daniella Uy.

The top 50 in the men’s side after 36 holes and the top 30 in the women’s side will advance to the final two rounds of the annual event hosted by Eagle Ridge.