Big guns brace for tough challenge as PGT unwraps

LUBAO, Pampanga — A new season signals fresh opportunities on the Philippine Golf Tour (PGT), but it also brings a fresh wave of challenges, particularly for the Tour’s battle-hardened veterans.

With a new batch of promising Q-School graduates eager to make their mark, the race for supremacy is wide open, promising unpredictable outcomes and electrifying finishes.

The ICTSI Pradera Verde Championship marks the official start of the 10-leg PGT circuit, with all of last year’s leg winners returning, each fine-tuning their skills during the offseason to stay ahead of the curve.

Yet, they won’t have an easy path to victory, as the new season introduces a new crop of hungry challengers, including 26 of the 30 Q-School qualifiers who battled grueling conditions at Splendido Taal to earn their Tour cards. Among them, Korean standout Jeff Jung and former national team ace Carl Corpus, who finished 1-2 in the four-day eliminations, enter the fray armed with confidence and momentum.

Unlike past seasons where dominant players emerged early, this year’s field is more evenly matched, promising intense battles and thrilling finishes across all 10 legs of the ICTSI-sponsored Tour, staged at the country’s premier championship courses.

The well-maintained Pradera Verde layout — with its vast fairways offering aggressive shot-making opportunities — rewards both power and precision. While big hitters may capitalize on reachable par-5s, the ever-changing winds and demanding pin placements ensure that no single style of play will guarantee success. It will also be a true test of strategy, patience and execution.

Even five-time Order of Merit champion Tony Lascuña, despite his wealth of experience, acknowledges that the competition is fiercer than ever.

“There’s no room to relax this season. The young players are getting stronger, and the course conditions will test everyone,” he said in Filipino.

This unpredictability is what makes this year’s PGT circuit especially compelling. Clyde Mondilla, who dominated the Caliraya Springs leg last season, is eyeing another triumph at Pradera Verde, a venue where he clinched victory in a historic five-man playoff in 2020.

He’ll be joined by other leg winners including Rupert Zaragosa (Negros Occidental), Reymon Jaraula (Bacolod), LJ Go (Palos Verdes), Angelo Que (Philippine Masters), Sean Ramos (Lakewood), Keanu Jahns (Forest Hills), Jhonnel Ababa (Apo), and Zanieboy Gialon (Iloilo) — all of whom have proven they can win under pressure.

Adding to the intrigue, multi-titled Guido van der Valk, former leg winners Ira Alido and Michael Bibat, and title-hungry Hyun Ho Rho, Aidric Chan, Ryan Monsalve, Russell Bautista, and reigning The Country Club Invitational champion Minwook Gwon are all in the mix, ensuring no clear frontrunner heading into the season opener.

As much as the veterans are expected to put up a fight, the Q-School graduates could just as easily steal the spotlight. Names like Yuto Hayaski, Christopher delos Santos, Tae Won Kim, Paul Echavez, James Ryan Lam, Ivan Monsalve, Dan Cruz, Josh Jorge and Jhondie Quibol have already proven their resilience in earning their Tour cards and are determined to make an immediate impact in the four-day championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. and supported by official apparel Kampfortis Golf.