Three months after his breakthrough victory at the Lakewood Championship, Sean Ramos is feeling confident and ready to make waves again at the ICTSI Forest Hills Classic.
With strong performances abroad in recent weeks, the young gun is looking to carry the momentum into the P2-million tournament, which tees off on Wednesday at the Forest Hills Golf and Country Club in Antipolo.
“I’ve been competing on the Asian Development Tour over the last couple of weeks, working closely with my swing coach. I had a couple of good finishes, so I’m hoping to keep that momentum going,” said Ramos, who tied for 12th place at the Indonesia Pro-Am last Friday and finished joint 11th at the BRG Open in Vietnam the previous week.
His triumph at Lakewood last June, where he displayed remarkable composure, saw him overcome seasoned Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) stalwarts like Reymon Jaraula and Tony Lascuña.
Now, as he enters the 72-hole championship, he will once again face these formidable competitors, all eager to halt his rising momentum while chasing their own championship aspirations in this seventh leg of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.
Lascuña, a 53-time career champion, remains one of the most dangerous players in the field. Coming off a victory at Splendido Taal in challenging conditions last July, he’s keen on securing his second win of the year.
With years of experience and daily practice, Lascuña continues to sharpen his game while imparting wisdom to young and old amateur golfers as a respected swing coach.
Along with Lascuña, fellow PGT leg winners Jhonnel Ababa (Apo), Angelo Que (Philippine Masters) and Clyde Mondilla (Caliraya Springs) are also primed for the title chase.
Mondilla, the defending champion at Forest Hills, remains the prohibitive favorite, having dominated last year’s event with a record-setting 11-under 60 in the opening round. He led wire-to-wire, eventually securing a commanding five-stroke victory over Dino Villanueva and Que.
However, a year can bring significant changes in a player’s form and mindset, with hungry up-and-comers eager to make their mark with the upcoming tournament promising excitement, with no player holding a distinct edge over the challenging, risk-and-reward layout.
Other notable competitors include defending Order of Merit champion Guido van der Valk, Ira Alido, Michael Bibat and Keanu Jahns, alongside talented young guns like Hyun Ho Rho, Aidric Chan, Kristoffer Arevalo, Ryan Monsalve, Ivan Monsalve, Josh Jorge and Lanz Uy.