Tabuena, Que lead local golf charge

CARMONA, Cavite—The Resorts World Manila Masters, the richest pro golf event in the country, gets its third edition going tomorrow with the Philippines’ finest joining an elite international field that will try to tame Southwoods’ Masters layout.

With the Jack Nicklaus-designed gem manicured to championship shape, local big guns Miguel Tabuena, Angelo Que and Antonio Lascuña will have their work cut out for them as they all shoot for the first Filipino win in the $1 million (around P47.25 million) event.

The fancied local trio has an edge over the international field because of their knowledge of the course, but conditions at this time of the year change from day to day, especially when the winds blow and make the greens even quicker.

Lascuña, a club member like Que, played several rounds the past week, hoping to get it all figured out and be the one to make his luck when tournament week comes.

“I just had so much bad luck last year,” said the 45-year-old, who finished second to Tabuena in the local tour’s Order of Merit race this year. “Hopefully, I get lucky this week.”

Mardan Mamat of Singapore, a two-time winner on Philippine soil counting his Open triumph at Wack Wack three years ago, banners the list of crack foreigners as he seeks to repeat as champion for the first time in his career.

Liang Wenchong of China won the inaugural event in 2013 where he donated half of his prize money to victims of Supertyphoon Yolanda.

Though the unorthodox-swinging Chinese is not entered this year, the man he beat in a playoff then, Prom Meesawat of Thailand, is also listed as one of the men to beat.

Club chair Bob Sobrepeña said that hosting the event for the third straight year further boosts the development of golf in the country.

“We are privileged and honored to be the host venue again for what is now the country’s richest golf tournament on the Asian Tour,” said Sobrepeña.

The other notable foreigners in the field are Thaworn Wiratchant, Danthai Boonma and Thammanoon Sriroj of Thailand, Swede Daniel Chopra, Aussie Marcus Both, Taiwan’s Lu Wei-chih, Chiragh Kumar of India and Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera.