Rich Anvaya leg touches off LPGT season

The Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) also gets a lucrative start to its new season when the $100,000 (roughly P5.5 million) Anvaya Cove Invitational that will feature aces from Taiwan and Thailand tees off on Wednesday at the well-manicured layout in Morong, Bataan.

Chihiro Ikeda, who won the Order of Merit title last year, banners the Philippine challenge even as the best of the Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association (LPGA) of Taiwan will be coming over for the 54-hole championship over one of the most beautiful shoreline layouts in the country.

The top guns of the Thailand LPGA are also entered together with five bets from Japan as the local ladies circuit gets a similar big start like its male counterpart that touched off its season last week with the P6 million The Country Club Invitational won by Dutchman Guido Van der Valk.

The circuit sponsored by ICTSI will be a busy one this year, with two stops in Bacolod and one in Iloilo slated in March, Chanelle Avaricio, a three-leg winner last season, and the comebacking Daniella Uy are among the other notable locals worth keeping an eye on.

Action in the men’s division will also be held at Marapara in Bacolod and Sta. Barbara in Iloilo

Uy was a notable amateur before going to the United States to turn pro.

Harmie Constantino, who won at Pradera before ruling the Match Play Championship at Villamor, is also tipped to crowd the leaders.