Young field up for beast of a test at Country Club   

Aerin Chan has her sights set on winning the biggest tournament of her young career.

The eight champions coming from the four boys’ and girls’ divisions will need to be extra shard this week as The Country Club in Laguna, hands-down the toughest golf test in the country, hosts the ICTSI Junior PGT Match Play Finals starting on Wednesday.

With the wind-buffeted layout’s unpredictability, lightning-fast greens and perfectly placed bunkers and hazards, the young, lean and mean field filtered through five months of intense competition all over the country will be in for the fight of their careers.

It’s not unusual for pro events at the TCC to end with over-par winning totals, but the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. will adjust the tees depending on the age groups this week.

The official practice round will be played on Tuesday, with the classification up the following day. Play shifts to match on Thursday with the semifinals and finals to be played on Friday, making fatigue a huge factor,

“It will definitely be a grind for everyone out there,” said swing coach Bong Lopez, who handles Aerin Chan, basketball star Jeff Chan’s daughter who is one of the favorites in the 10-12 division with three wins in the circuit.

“The champions will definitely have to earn it,” Lopez went on during a break in Chan’s practice at Manila Southwoods.

Positioning in the rankings will be key after Tuesday, with the top players from each group after the 18-hole qualifying basically getting the lighter assignments in their opening matches. INQ