Que kicks off ICTSI Anvaya Cove Invt’l title defense

Angelo Que returns to the site of one of his most memorable triumphs when the P3.5-million ICTSI Anvaya Cove Invitational—the kickoff leg of the 15-stage Philippine Golf Tour— tees off Wednesday at the well-manicured layout in Morong, Bataan.

Que, who set a course-record 64 and rallied from six strokes down in the final round to prevail last year, heads a crack field that includes the in-form Miguel Tabuena and fellow Asian Tour regular Antonio Lascuña.

Tabuena is one of the players to beat owing to his solid form dating back to his Philippine Open triumph at Luisita last December.

The 21-year-old will also be coming off a joint fourth-place finish in the rich Singapore Open and a decent effort in the Myanmar Open in Yangon last week.

“I feel good, confident and I want to win this one,” said Tabuena, during yesterday’s pro-am.

All three actually finished tied for 38th in Burma (Myanmar), with Lascuña seeking some sort of redemption here after taking the first-round lead in Yangon with a smoking 64 only to falter in the final three days.

Lascuña is reported to be having flu-like symptoms but declared that he would play this week.

Other notables entered are the ageless Frankie Miñoza and Cassius Casas, both former PH Open champions like Que and Tabuena, and a horde of veterans like Elmer Salvador, Mars Pucay and Jay Bayron.

Toru Nakajima, the Japanese who became the first foreigner to win in the Tour, will be in one of the premier opening round flights together with Miñoza and Que at 7:55 a.m.

Meanwhile, Mark Fernando steered his team, composed of amateurs Luis Ramirez, Benigno Victorio and Rolen Paulino, to the pro-am victory with a 20-under 52, nipping Marvin Dumandan and amateurs Bienvenido Perez, Jimmy Bustamante and Eimie Hedeager, in the count back. Musong R. Castillo