For the second straight season, the Asian Tour opens in the Philippines with the inaugural Philippine Golf Championship presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, running 5 to 8 February at the historic Wack Wack Golf & Country Club in Mandaluyong City.

A new addition to the Asian Tour calendar, the championship highlights the Philippines’ growing stature as a premier golf destination in Asia.

Last year, the country also hosted the season-opening Philippine Open, reinforcing its place on the regional golfing map.

The tournament is organized by the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) and the National Sports Tourism–Inter Agency Committee (NST-IAC), with BingoPlus as official sponsor.

The championship will be played over four rounds of stroke play on Wack Wack’s par-72, 7,188-yard East Course, with a $500,000 prize purse.

The full field features 144 players from 26 countries, with the cut after 36 holes reducing the field to the top 65 professionals and ties.

Leading the pack is Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand, the 2019 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion and seven-time winner, fresh off strong finishes in Saudi Arabia and India.

Other top contenders include Wang Wei-hsuan of Chinese Taipei, who had a breakthrough 2025 season with three wins on the Taiwan PGA Tour; Thai stars Rattanon Wannasrichan and Suteepat Prateeptienchai, last year’s Mandiri Indonesia Open champion; Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma, a three-time Japan Golf Tour winner; Lee Chieh-po of Chinese Taipei, 2024 International Series Thailand champion; and Enrique Dimayuga, PGA Tour of Americas regular.

American past Order of Merit winners John Catlin (2024) and Sihwan Kim (2022) also join the field.

Local interest is strong, with 42 Filipino players in the mix, including Justin delos Santos, the highest-ranked Filipino on the OWGR, and Justin Quiban, who led the 2025 Asian Tour Order of Merit for the Philippines.

Former Philippine Open champions Angelo Que, Clyde Mondilla and Gerald Rosales will compete, alongside Antonio Lascuna, five-time Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit winner, 16 invited local pros, and six national amateur golfers.

The championship also shines a spotlight on emerging talent.

Thirty of the 35 players who earned Asian Tour cards at last December’s Qualifying School will compete, including winner Lin Yuxin of China, runner-up Shaurya Bhattacharya of India, and Korean teen Minchan Kim, 17, making his professional debut after an extraordinary run as a 16-year-old amateur.

The top 10 finishers from last year’s Asian Development Tour Order of Merit, led by Tawit Polthai, are also in the field.

PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio said the tournament underscores the role of sports tourism in the Philippines.

“The biggest tourism events in the world are sports events. We’re happy when Pinoys cheer and dream. That is the beauty of sports — it inspires not only the players but also the youth and their families,” he said.

NGAP president Martin Lorenzo added, “Hosting the Asian Tour in the Philippines is an honor. Showcasing elite golf inspires the next generation to take up the sport and pursue excellence. We thank the PSC and Wack Wack Golf and Country Club for their invaluable support.”