Touring pros swing back into action

DAVAO, Philippines — The much-anticipated Philippine Golf Tour kicks off at the challenging Apo Golf and Country Club today, promising a rousing showdown as former champions, seasoned campaigners and emerging talents vie for supremacy in the ICTSI Apo Golf Classic here.

The P2.5 million tournament boasts an impressive roster, including past Order of Merit winners Tony Lascuña, Clyde Mondilla, Jobim Carlos, Elmer Salvador and Jay Bayron, and reigning titlist Jhonnel Ababa, and recent PGT Q-School graduates.

The Apo layout, renowned for its narrow fairways and undulating greens guarded by water hazards, is set to the test the players’ skills and precision over the next four days.

Local favorites Lascuña, Salvador, Bayron and Ababa, all armed with their knowledge of the course at the foothills of Mt. Apo, are eager to make an early impact.

Lascuña, the only four-time OOM winner, acknowledges their slight advantage at Apo, but emphasizes the competition’s intensity with many skilled players and promising young talents in the fold, including PGT Q-School topnotcher Aidric Chan.