Three-leg winner Mondilla favorite in ICTSI Players Championship

LIPA City—Sans the big guns, Clyde Mondilla looms as favorite when the ICTSI Players Championship blasts off Tuesday at Summit Point Golf Club here.

Notable internationalists Miguel Tabuena, Angelo Que and Tony Lascuña opted to skip the season-ending tournament of the Philippine Golf Tour circuit and compete abroad instead, leaving virtual Order of Merit champion Mondilla as logical choice to bag the P550,000 top purse.

Mondilla, a three-leg winner this year, including the ICTSI Rivera Classic of the PGT Asia Tour two weeks ago, tees off with Zanieboy Gialon and Jhonnel Ababa at 7:30 a.m., aware that the 2017 OOM title will be his regardless of how he would perform in the P3-million event.

Even then, however, Mondilla has vowed to go all-out for the title in preparation for the Philippine Golf Tour Asia circuit which resumes in November with two $100,000 tournaments.

Apart from Gialon and Ababa, other players expected to foil Mondilla’s title bid are Jay Bayron, winner here in 2014, and Rene Menor, reinvigorated by a breakthrough victory in the recent PGTA ICTSI Splendido leg.

For Gialon, runaway winner at ICTSI Calatagan last June, putting will be a key factor in the Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed layout.

“Clyde has the edge on long courses because of his power. But at Summit Point, we’re pretty even off the tee, so I think it will boil down to who putts well in the end,” said Gialon.

Bayron, ranked No. 9 in the OOM, is also tipped to contend for the crown as he sets out with No. 8 Michael Bibat and No. 7 Menor at 7:10 a.m.

Arnold Villacencio hopes to relive his memories on the course where he scored his maiden win in 2014, when he starts at 7:40 a.m. in the company of Omar Dungca and Keanu Jahns.

Others expected to contend are Mhark Fernando, Jobim Carlos, Rufino Bayron, Jessie Balasabas, Justin Quiban, Orlan Sumcad, Ira Alido, Jun Bernis, Marvin Dumandan, Elmer Salvador, Ferdie Aunzo and Mars Pucay.
Also out to spoil the locals’ title drive in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. are the foreign aces led by Americans Elliot Hume and Lexus Keoninh, Koreans Hwang Myung Chal, Kim Jun Sik, Park Jun Sung and Lee Hyeon Tae, Australians Nathan Park and Ian Tonumaipe’a, Japanese Seiji Yanagisawa and Dutch Guido Van der Valk.