Rich ICTSI-TPC at Southlinks starts Tuesday

Clyde Mondilla, inspired by a breakthrough win, guns for a second straight victory starting today in the P3.5 million ICTSI Tournament Players Championship at Southlinks.

After blowing the field away at Canlubang, Mondilla is brimming with confidence he needs to make it two-in-a-row against basically the same players since the big guns have opted to play in a more lucrative tournament overseas.

Arnold Villacencio, who also broke through last month at Summit Point and finished in a second-place tie behind Mondilla in Canlubang, is also another man to watch together with former Philippine Open champions Cassius Casas and Robert Pactolerin.

The champion here takes home P650,000—the biggest paycheck for anyone in the field save for Casas and Pactolerin—with the likes of Angelo Que, Miguel Tabuena and Order of Merit champion Antonio Lascuña passing up the event.

The Southlinks layout offers a different kind of challenge to the field as it is short but narrow and  no one can claim familiarity over it being a new course south of Manila.

“It’s important to find the fairways to set up birdie chances, and to do that, because of the course being so narrow, the driver will be kept in the bag for most of the round,” Mondilla said in Filipino.

Southlinks is measured at just 7,002 yards, quite short by international standards, and if the winds don’t blow, then the field could have a heydey shooting at the pins.

The greens of the layout have also been unreceptive, said Zanie Boy Gialon, a leg champion this season.

The 72-hole championship is being backed by Nike Golf, Pacsports Phils. Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Mizuno, Empire Golf, Footjoy, Titleist, Custom Clubmakers, Sharp, KZG and Rudy Project.