MORE than the star-studded field, the last leg of the Philippine Golf Tour season—the ICTSI Tournament Players Championship—will be one tough test of golf with the beast known as Wack Wack East the event’s venue.
For decades the home of the Philippine Open, the East course is again expected to provide the stiffest challenge to anyone aiming for the P650,000 champion’s purse.
There is no such thing as course familiarity with the East layout and no giveaway holes as the par-72 gem has only two par-5s and a couple of par-3s, counting the vicious “Camel Back” No. 8 which has been the graveyard of many a dream.
American-Korean teenager Micah Shin will come into Wednesday’s event carrying the momentum of his Central Azucarera de Tarlac Open win last Saturday.
With narrow fairways, small greens and the reputation of being the toughest nut to crack on tour, anything close to par would be a good effort at the course, though there are a few men in the field who know how to win there.
Jay Bayron owns a win in the most recent tourney at the East course, the Aboitiz Invitational where he thumped an elite field led by Malaysian US PGA hopeful Gavin Green, and finished second to American Berry Henson by a stroke in the 2011 Open. Frankie Miñoza also bagged his second Open there in 2007.