SAN PEDRO, Laguna — Professional senior golf play will have a new face starting Monday when the Stronghold Insurance Senior Open gets off the ground with a star-studded field playing a multi-round event for the first time with the biggest prize money in recent memory staked at Hallow Ridge Filipinas here.

Former Philippine Open winners, Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) Order of Merit (OOM) champions and multi-leg winners on the regular ICTSI circuit will banner a foreigners-laced field that sees action in three divisions, with Antonio Lascuña leading a 33-man field in the centerpiece Senior (50-59) bracket chasing the P150,000 winner's check.

"This is the birth of hopefully how senior pro events are handled (in the future)," Lascuña, who fine-tuned his short game at Manila Southwoods on Sunday, said in Filipino.

"A lot of us (senior pros) are very grateful.”

"We've never had a tournament as big and handled as professionally as this."

Lascuña won the PGT's OOM a record five times and at 54, is campaigning in senior events more and more. He is the favorite in his division together with Mars Pucay, Elmer Salvador, Orlan Sumcad, Rico Depilo and five foreigners led by Australians Matt Blundell, Karl Russell and American Nik Banchoff.

Robert Pactolerin and Mario Manubay are former Open champs headlining the 60-69 (Super Senior) bracket that drew the participation of Asian Senior Tour president Chuan Campbell and Tanaka Kosuke of Japan. Their division dangles P100,000 to the champion.