Quiban, Shin spice up wide-open title chase
CLYDE Mondilla is determined to score back-to-back victories when he marches to the ICTSI Apo Golf Classic in Davao City starting Tuesday.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PGT
DAVAO CITY — Justin Quiban’s return and Micah Shin’s entry have added star power and fresh intrigue to an already loaded field, setting the stage for a wide-open title chase in the ICTSI Apo Golf Classic, the final leg of the Philippine Golf Tour season.
The P2.5-million championship reels off Tuesday at the Apo Golf and Country Club here, where four days of exacting golf could produce another nerve-wracking finish in a season marked by dramatic rallies, late collapses and unpredictable outcomes.
With the season’s final trophy and the coveted Order of Merit crown both up for grabs, the stakes could hardly be higher. A formidable cast of contenders is primed to make one last push for glory, with no clear favorite emerging on a demanding layout that rewards precision, patience and sound course management.
Focus will also be placed on retaining the coveted Top 40 Tour cards, setting up a fierce battle in the lower half of the rankings.
Fresh from snapping a two-year title drought with his victory at South Pacific, Clyde Mondilla heads into the final leg brimming with confidence.
But Sean Ramos, who came tantalizingly close to forcing a playoff last week, is eager to settle unfinished business, while Keanu Jahns and Angelo Que hope to carry over the momentum of their blistering final-round charges that nearly turned the South Pacific finale on its head.
Que, however, has more than another championship in his sights. The two-leg winner is also locked in a compelling duel with Jeffren Lumbo for the season-long Order of Merit title, with the race now reaching its decisive stage.