With the absence of most of the top guns of the Philippine Golf Tour (PGT), Clyde Mondilla has loomed as a heavy favorite to win the rich The Country Club Invitational next week at windswept TCC in Laguna.
But that doesn’t mean that he has been taking it easy the past few days with former champions and international campaigners Juvic Pagunsan, Angelo Que and Miguel Tabuena skipping the P5 million event teeing off on March 4.
The Del Monte star actually kicked off the new season with a stirring victory in the Philippine Golf Tour Asia (PGTA) at Pradera Verde last month, rallying from five down in regulation and coming out triumphant of the most crowded playoff battle of five players in PGT and PGTA history.
“I like my chances but it isn’t that great since there are so many strong players around,” Mondilla said. “The course is also very challenging, tough.”
He said the big hitters have the slight edge at the Tom Weiskopf-designed layout although he stressed a lot of factors will also have to be considered owing to the course’s hazards, roughs and sleek putting surface with the wind also likely to come into play on all four days.