Ready and armed to the teeth, Jiwon Lee is determined to shrug off the anticipated pressure and showcase her potential as she makes her keenly awaited jump from the junior division to the professional ranks in the ICTSI Splendido Taal Championship beginning Tuesday at Splendido Taal Golf Club in Laurel, Batangas.
Having swept the first two legs of this year’s Junior PGT at Splendido and Pradera Verde and surprised the pros in the Lakewood Championship in Cabanatuan City last month, Lee feels it’s time to make the big transition in hopes of further harnessing her talent and skills in the professional arena.
Challenges and pressure will surely test Lee at Splendido, with competitors like Harmie Constantino, Florence Bisera, Sarah Ababa and Mikha Fortuna all primed for top honors in the P750,000, 54-hole championship, which serves as the sixth leg of this year’s 10-stage Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
Constantino, for one, is eager to regain her winning ways after settling for joint third in Nueva Ecija, following victories in the Palos Verdes, Caliraya Championships and the Ladies Philippine Masters.
Bisera, who shared third place with Constantino at Lakewood, is also poised to follow up her breakthrough win at South Pacific last year, while Ababa, brimming with confidence, seeks a second victory this year after narrowly defeating young Mafy Singson by two strokes at Apo in Davao last March.
Singson, too, is keen on defending her crown, which she won when Splendido Taal hosted the LPGT in 2022. Then playing as an amateur, Singson bested Constantino and a host of pros to clinch a two-stroke victory.
But the spotlight will be on Lee, who will be tested alongside Constantino and other seasoned campaigners in what promises to be a three-day battle of shot-making, iron play, putting and composure, especially if the outcome is decided in sudden death.
Lee, however, is confident and believes she’s ready for the challenge.
“My JPGT stint and my victory at Lakewood gave me a lot of experience coming into the professional league. JPGT really helped me a lot,” added the rising 16-year-old star, who edged multi-titled Chihiro Ikeda in sudden death to snare the Lakewood crown.
Fellow Koreans Seoyun Kim, Minyeon Kim, and Eunhua Nam also bolster the Splendido field, which also features Pamela Mariano, Gretchen Villacencio, Kristine Fleetwood, Marvi Monsalve, Lucy Landicho, Laurea Duque, Velinda Castil, Kayla Nocum and Keena Puzon, together with amateur Jules Gaerlan.