ICTSI field faces acid test at Wack Wack

The 81-player strong ICTSI Wack Wack Championship field braces for what could be its toughest challenge in a season-long campaign on the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour as it tackles WW’s fabled East course in the P2.5 million event firing off  Wednesday, Nov. 23.
With its tricky, narrow layout made more exacting by its longer yardage and sleek putting surface, the par-72 course is expected to bring out the best – or the worst – from the star-studded field chasing the top purse of P450,000 in the final leg of this year’s circuit.
Jay Bayron, the reigning ICTSI PGT Order of Merit champion, returns to the scene of his near Philippine Open win, hoping to re-display the form that netted him a runner-up finish in the country’s premier golfing event last May.
But he will be up against a field that includes the best – except for one – in the land, including Angelo Que, Frankie Minoza, Jhonnel Ababa, Artemio Murakami, Elmer Salvador, Tony Lascuna, Mars Pucay, Gerald Rosales, Mhark Fernando and teener Miguel Tabuena.
“It will be tough but I’m looking forward to playing well and closing out the season with a victory,” said Bayron, who also won the season-ending leg of the Pilipinas Golf Tournament Inc.-organized circuit at Canlubang last year to beat Juvic Pagunsan for the Order of Merit crown.
The field, meanwhile, gets to test the course in today’s (Tuesday) traditional pro-am tournament which features the leading pros and officials and
guests of the event’s chief backers, including International Container Terminal Services, Inc., MJ Carr Golf Management, Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Unilab, BDO, Titleist, Sharp, Custom Clubmakers, Mizuno, PinoyGolfer.com, Inquirer Golf, Omnisource International, A Round of Golf, Studio 23, Balls, and Dynamic Sports.
Although Pagunsan, winner of four legs this year, will not be around due to his suspension, the field remains teeming with talents with Que, Minoza, Salvador, Murakami, Pucay and Lascuna leading the veteran campaigners and three-leg winner Ababa, Del Monte leg champion Fernando and Tabuena heading the roster of rising stars.
The 17-year-old Tabuena, in fact, is coming off an impressive fourth place finish at Taiwan Masters three weeks ago where he won P1.3 million and emerged the top Filipino placer at joint 29th in last week’s Johor Open where he banked another P690,000, making him a worthy title contender in the 54-hole tournament.
While Bayron will be hard-pressed to atone for a failed bid at WW, Que and Minoza will be out to re-live their exploits on the course where they won the Phl Open diadems. Minoza won in 2007 for his second Phl Open crown while Que ruled in 2008.
Also in the fold is Dutch Guido Van der Valk, a regular campaigner in big-time local tournament, who is expected to crowd the top Filipino shotmakers in the event hosted by Wack Wack for the first time.(pr)