P550,000 await PH Masters champion

Organizers of the Philippine Masters, recognizing the prestige of the tournament, have upped the prize money to P3 million, making the 72-hole championship one of the most lucrative events on the local tour.

The champion’s purse will now be worth P550,000—from last year’s P360,000—giving the winner a big boost in the Order of Merit race.

“It only doubles the thrill,” Antonio Lascuña, who finished second to Clyde Mondilla last year, said of the increased purse for the tournament teeing off May 23.

The winning score last year was just six-under-par, downplaying how tough the Villamor layout can play.

“Villamor has never been an easy [course],” said VGC general manager Guillermo Molina Jr. “The important thing is to keep the ball in play, always.”