Stellar field taking part in Summit Point tourney

Former leg winners Namchok Tantipokhakul and Wisut Artjanawat of Thailand rejoin the Philippine Golf Tour Asia starting Wednesday and are two of the favorites in the $100,000 ICTSI Summit Point World 18 Challenge in Lipa City, Batangas.

Tantipokhakul and Artjanawat missed last week’s CAT Open at Luisita won by Aussie Tim Stewart via playoff, but are coming into this week’s event motivated by desire to emerge as the only two-leg winner at the close of the third season of Asia’s rising circuit.

Tantipokhakul rallied and nipped Finland’s Teemu Putkonen by one to rule this year’s PGT Asia kickoff leg at Luisita in April while Artjanawat topped the first PGTA event abroad, also in come-from-behind fashion, in Taiwan in May.

But they are just but two of the hundred top guns all primed up for the 72-hole championship, including Tony Lascuña, winner of the second PGTA tournament, also in Taiwan last month, and last year’s champion Joenard Rates, who edged Janne Kaske, also of Finland, in sudden death.

Reigning PGTA Order of Merit winner Clyde Mondilla is also all geared up for a crack at the crown after falling short of his own rally in last week’s CAT Open where he battled back from six down to force a playoff, only to waver in sudden death.