Royal Northwoods, a gem of a course in San Rafael, Bulacan, gets the honor to host Wednesday’s (March 30) opening leg of this year’s ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour , a 12-stage circuit offering a total prize fund of P12 million and featuring the cream of the country’s pro crop.
Spruced up to championship condition, the par-72 Graham Marsh-designed layout is expected to provide a true test of golf for the competing 84-pro field with its tight dog-leg fairways that require accuracy off the tee and bunkers and hazards that come into play on most holes.
With the speed of the greens and pin placement expected to baffle the pros, a wide open race for top honors is seen the way it did when Dabawenyo Marvin Dumandan needed two extra holes to nip townmate Tony Lascuna for last year’s crown at Northwoods.
Dumandan went on to emerge the winningest player on the tour last year with three wins, counting his title romps at ICTSI-Sherwood and ICTSI-Mimosa. But the rest of the field will be out to foil his title-retention drive and build some kind of momentum for another busy golf season.
The Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. has lined up a full calendar of events offering P 1 million each to be disputed over 54 holes at the championship courses in the country. It includes five new layouts – the Eastridge Golf Club in Binangonan, which hosts the fourth leg on June 1-3, the Tagaytay Midlands, the Iloilo Golf and Country Club, the Bacolod Golf and Country Club and Wack Wack.
Meanwhile, the traditional pro-am 18-hole tournament will be held on Tuesday with top ICTSI officials and their guests seeing action alongside the leading pros and top amateurs.
From Northwoods, the circuit, sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc., Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Srixon, Callaway, Dynamic Sports and Omnisource International, will head to Lipa, Batangas for the ICTSI Classic at Mt. Malarayat, while The Orchard in Cavite will stage the third leg on May 18-20 for the ICTSI Orchard Golf Championship.
The ICTSI Mt. Malarayat, also a leg on the Mercedes Benz Tour, will be circuit’s fifth leg on June 16-18 while the ICTSI Midlands Classic will be held June 29-July 1.
Action shifts to the Visayas on July 13-15 for the ICTSI Invitational at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club in Santa Barbara while Bacolod will stage the next leg on July 20-22 for another ICTSI Invitational tournament.
After a successful hosting last year, Cebu Country Club will again host the Aboitiz Invitational on Aug. 3-5 before the tour goes farther down south for the ICTSI Del Monte Championship on Aug. 24-26 at the Del Monte Golf Club.
Wack Wack, venue of this year’s Philippine Open, will host the penultimate leg on a date still to be announced while Canlubang will again be the tour’s final stop on Nov. 9-11 for the ICTSI Canlubang Golf Invitational.PR
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