While the first round draw looks to favor the top-ranked bets, the lesser lights are keen on stirring up play as they go mano-a-mano in the ICTSI Villamor Match Play Invitational beginning today at the Villamor Golf Club in Pasay City.

Top seed Dutch Guido Van der Valk faces No. 32 Dan Cruz, No. 2 Tony Lascuña battles Paul Echavez, Clyde Mondilla clashes with Mars Pucay, Zanieboy Gialon mixes it up with Art Arbole, and Miguel Tabuena collides with Richard Sinfuego in the last five flights of the 16-pair duels in the men's side of the four-day event wrapping up the Philippine Golf Tour and Ladies PGT season.

"Every match this week will be tough. Everyone can play good golf so it will be who has the best round," said Van der Valk, who moved to the Philippines in 2008 while playing on the Asian Tour.

"I played match play a lot in my life. Most of the big European amateur tournaments are match play. But I played only one match play as a pro and it has been a long time."

"As for the match (against Cruz), I'll try and play smart bit in the end, you just have to hit good shots and hole putts."

Lascuña, on the other hand, will bank on his driving to fuel a campaign he hopes would snap a three-tournament spell in the circuit put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.
"Driving will be key here, given the tightness of the fairways. A good hit will give one easy target for birdies," said the multi-titled Lascuña during yesterday's
pro-am tournament that drew 18 of the leading players from the PGT and LPGT.

"I think my experience will carry me through although anything can happen in match play."

"But I'm also due for a win after placing second at Eagle Ridge-Aoki, Riviera and Pradera Verde," he added.

Like Lascuña, Van der Valk, winner of the Splendido Taal and Pradera Verde legs this year, said emphasis will be on the mound while downplaying the heat factor, stressing: "I think hitting fairways off the tee is key. If you get into the rough or worse on the trees, it will be tough. As for the heat, I don't think it will be worse here than in the other weeks we played this year."