Guido Van der Valk hopes to scramble well enough to become fifirst back-toback champ. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The elite 30-player cast gets going on Tuesday, starting a battle for survival—and a handsome P2 million paycheck—when The Country Club (TCC) Invitational tees off over a course that is ready to deal the talented field another beating.
Dutchman Guido Van der Valk will be shooting for a second straight win and has chosen to describe the four rounds as a “fight with the course” as he shoots to technically become the first man to win the 72-hole championship back-to-back after hoisting the trophy in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered sports in the country.
“The TCC is so difficult that it really is your fight with the course,” Van der Valk, a longtime Philippine resident, said as he samples the 7,256-yard layout one final time on Monday during the traditional Pro-Am. “It’s a tough course for all—no matter who plays in the tournament.”
The course was redesigned by golf patron Ricky Razon to give out the most brutal test in the country, with former Philippine Open champion Miguel Tabuena winning in 2017 over Juvic Pagunsan with a 13-over 301 total.
“Your whole game needs to be good—driver and long irons because the course is long, short game because no matter how good you play, you will miss the greens,” added Van der Valk.
Tom Kim, who is now a star in the US Professional Golfers’ Association Tour, came close to matching par when he won in 2019, tallying a 290.
Clyde Mondilla, who won a PH Open in 2019 over the same course, knows that, to win, one has to be close to perfect this week.
“We all know that TCC is exacting and it’s a challenge for us. To produce good scores, you have to be good in everything—driving, irons, short game and putting,” said Mondilla, the long-hitting ace from Del Monte who is looking to win this event for the first time.
Pagunsan, Frankie Miñoza, Antonio Lascuña and Micah Shin are former champions also playing this week, with Pagunsan seeking to win a fourth time and break his tie with the absent Angelo Que for the most wins here.
Another former winner who will be missing the event is Tabuena, who like Que has earlier committed to play in the Middle East. INQ