Que, Pagunsan tee off as favorites for Riviera tilt

SILANG, Cavite—Angelo Que and Juvic Pagunsan set out as favorites starting Wednesday when the P2.5 million ICTSI Riviera Challenge tees off at the wind-swept Langer layout here.

Que will come in fresh from a five-shot victory over a tougher field at Manila Southwoods, while Pagunsan will be shooting to win a fourth straight Philippine Golf Tour crown after topping the last three legs of the Visayas stop last June.

But what lies ahead could be four days of uncertainty and unpredictability given the par-71 layout’s repute as one of the toughest with rain the past few days softening up the course, thus making it longer.

The layout cannot be conquered by sheer length alone, as it puts premium on well-placed approaches and the ability to judge the wind.

Pagunsan won the last pro event played here, in March this year during a PGT Asia stop.

Jay Bayron, Clyde Mondilla and Jobim Carlos also won titles here and are in the fold and should be worth watching.

Also boosting the cast and eager to get a crack at the top P450,000 purse are Jhonnel Ababa and James Ryan Lam, former leg winners.

Jessie Balasabas, who won the revived Philippine Masters last year at Villamor, is also entered.

Meanwhile, Korean-American Micah Shin, a former PGT leg champion at Luisita and the first non-Filipino winner of The Country Club Invitational, heads the foreign challenge.