Rolida seeks revenge in JPGT Pueblo de Oro

CAGAYAN DE ORO — The stakes are higher, the field deeper and the course far more challenging as the ICTSI Junior PGT Pueblo de Oro Championship fires off on Tuesday here, setting the stage for another thrilling showdown of talent, grit and tactical savvy among the country’s brightest young golfers.

Following last week’s stern test at the tight and tricky Del Monte Golf Club in Bukidnon, the junior golf hopefuls now brace for a contrasting challenge at Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country Club — a wider but equally demanding layout that promises to separate the merely good from the truly elite.

Known for its rolling fairways, undulating greens and strategically placed ravines, the Robert Trent Jones II-designed course is poised to bring out the best — and potentially the worst — in the competitors as they pursue titles and precious ranking points toward berths in the season-ending ICTSI North vs South Elite Junior Finals this October.

Among those eager to rise from early setbacks is hometown bet James Rolida, who is eyeing redemption and resurgence in familiar terrain.

A winner in last year’s South Pacific leg, Rolida has since struggled to regain top form, placing third in Mactan and sliding to sixth in Del Monte.

But now playing on his home course — with intimate knowledge of its nuances and challenges — the Cagayan de Oro native hopes to flip the script and finally return to the winner’s circle in the boys' 7-10 division set over 36 holes.

But Rolida’s path to redemption is anything but smooth.

He’s up against Jamie Barnes, the breakout performer who dominated the Del Monte leg with a five-shot victory on his JPGT debut, along with fellow local contenders Shaqeeq Tanog and Liam Bonilla, Bukidnon’s Ian Langamin and Simon Apilat, and rising talents from across Mindanao and the Visayas, including Inigo Montalban, Lucas Revilleza and Tobias Tiongko.