MANILA, Philippines – It will be a question of preparation and making gains during the break as the ladies of the Philippine Golf Tour return to action in the ICTSI Del Monte Championship beginning Tuesday, September 5, at the Del Monte Golf Club in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.
Harmie Constantino, back-to-back winner at Luisita and Villamor, and Daniella Uy, who topped the last Ladies PGT stop at Forest Hills last June, top-bill the 25-player cast in the P750,000 tournament that includes Valley leg runaway champion amateur Mafy Singson, multi-titled Chihiro Ikeda and comebacking Seoyun Kim and fellow Koreans Minyeong Kim and Juyoung Yang.
But a crack band of players from the south, particularly those who nurtured their games on the quaint, tight mountain-top course, is ready and eager to pounce on the chance and cash in on the so-called “homecourt” edge, including Martina Miñoza and Pamela Mariano, who will be both aiming to score the elusive first win at home turf.
Amateur Sophia Abarcas, one of the spearheads of Team Del Monte in interclub competitions, also seeks to upstage the pros in the 54-hole tournament serving as the eighth leg of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.
Florence Bisera, who lost by one to Uy at Forest Hills, likewise seeks to score an LPGT breakthrough, and fellow Davaoeña Sarah Ababa shoots for a second career win while out to spring a surprise are Gretchen Villacencio, Kristine Fleetwood, Lesley Icoy, Lovelynn Guioguio, Apple Fudolin, Eva Miñoza, Lucy Landicho, Rev Alcantara, Annika Cedo, Velinda Castil and Korean amateur Jiwon Lee.
Joining the hunt are amateurs Alethea Gaccion and Krista Miñoza.
But Constantino and Uy will still be the marked players given their talent and skills they sharpened during the Tour respite with Seoyun Kim likewise raring to get going after missing the last two Antipolo legs due to injury.
The 16-year-old Korean nearly outshone fellow amateur Rianne Malixi at Riviera last year and posted another runner-up finish, this time to Pauline del Rosario in the Caliraya Springs Championship last April.
But she sustained an injury while fighting to tie for third with Uy in the Villamor Philippine Masters, forcing her to skip the Valley and Forest Hills legs of the circuit put up by ICTSI.