LPGT bets brace for tough title quest at Summit Point
LIPA CITY, Batangas – All three winners in the first four legs of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour brace for what promises to be a furious and spirited battle for another crown as the ICTSI Summit Point Championship blasts off Tuesday, September 8, at the Summit Point Golf and Country Club here.
The monsoon rains that have drenched the area in recent weeks could add another layer to an already demanding test. While Summit Point is an all-weather course designed to withstand wet conditions, the softened fairways could alter the way the compact field attacks the layout, making distance control, approach shots and course management even more crucial in the P1-million championship.
Yvon Bisera, Harmie Constantino and Chanelle Avaricio, the three early-season winners, are all primed to heat up the title chase, but they face a slew of former leg champions and emerging stars equally determined to break into the championship picture.
That puts a premium not only on shot-making but also on course management, club selection and nerves, particularly if the title race goes down to the wire.
The tournament will likewise test the field's conditioning and ability to regain competitive sharpness after a lengthy Tour break. Several players, however, have kept their games in shape by competing overseas during the hiatus, adding another layer of confidence to their respective title bids.
Bisera comes in as the player to beat after scoring a runaway seven-shot victory over Chihiro Ikeda at Pradera Verde in the last LPGT leg. But she expects an entirely different challenge at Summit Point, where the layout and playing conditions present a contrasting test and her rivals are all geared up for a much tighter fight.
The Davaoeña star, who topped the kickoff leg at Lakewood, is also using the tournament as part of her buildup for her maiden Korean LPGA stint later this month, giving her added motivation to sharpen her game and sustain the momentum she has built on the local circuit.
But she will have plenty of opposition.
Constantino routed the field by six shots at Caliraya Springs to snap a long title drought, then followed it up with a joint runner-up finish with Tiffany Lee at Pinewoods before winding up third at Pradera Verde. She has clearly rediscovered her form and is expected to figure prominently in another title chase.
Avaricio, meanwhile, will seek to re-display the form that carried her to victory in the wild and tightly fought Pinewoods leg. She has also kept herself tournament-ready, competing in China two weeks ago in preparation for another demanding campaign on the LPGT.
Still, it won't be a three-player race.
Reigning Order of Merit champion Sarah Ababa and fellow former leg winners Mafy Singson, Princess Superal, Ikeda and Lee are all primed for another title run. Also looking to make a breakthrough are Martina Miñoza, Pamela Mariano, Velinda Castil, Rev Alcantara, Angela Mangana, Gretchen Villacencio and Korean Seoyun Kim.
Attention will also be on Daniella Uy, another multi-titled campaigner who emerged as the best Filipina finisher at joint 12th in the ICTSI Philippine Ladies Masters held at this same Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed layout last February.
But much of the spotlight will remain on Bisera.
With a third LPGT crown within sight and her first Korean LPGA appearance looming later this month, the 2025 Thailand Masters winner enters Summit Point with more than another championship at stake.
For Bisera, the equation is straightforward: sharpen the short game, adjust to the softened fairways and rainy conditions, make the right decisions around the course and build the kind of momentum she can carry into Korea. (Pool story)
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