Justin Quiban. –HANDOUT PHOTO
Justin Quiban is hard at work preparing for the revival of the Philippine Open that happens on Jan, 23 at the Masters of Manila Southwoods in Carmona, Cavite.
The long-hitter is turning in the extra effort knowing what it will take to win Asia’s oldest national championship.
“We’re going to be playing the Asian Tour guys, and they are all good,” Quiban said during practice recently at SW, a place he called home during his amateur days. “So we have to come in here (on Open week) thinking to score at least 20-under (for 72 holes).
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“If I can’t do that, it would be very hard (to win),” he said.
While the Jack Nicklaus-designed Masters continues to be regarded as one of the toughest tests in the country, the advent of technology has made the course relatively shorter even if it is stretched to its full 7,300-plus yards for the Open.
“The way the guys are hitting it now, it could be a target practice for the field,” Quiban, who ended the last Asian Tour season ranked 53rd in the Order of Merit, said. “Especially if we have some rain leading to the Open, that will soften the greens and make finding the pins easier for a lot of guys.”
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The $500,000 (roughly P29 million) championship will signal the start of the Asian Tour season, and Quiban, like several other home bets in the field, are going to give it a heck of a shot to start the year right.
Quiban knows that he can hit it out with the best on the Asian Tour, and with the knowledge of the course he had developed over the years representing Southwoods, he feels he has a solid shot.
“Anything can happen out there,” he said after completing hours on the range to practice several shots.
Meanwhile, the seasoned Mars Pucay and Ryan Lam, who not played high level-tournament golf for more than a year, returned three-under-par 69s on Friday to share top honors in the qualifying and tow two other pros into the main event.
Joey Huerva and Eric Gallardo bagged the other two slots as the quartet won the slots contested by a 27-strong field at the North course of Cangolf.
A separate qualifying for the country’s amateur representatives, the NGAP-Riviera Am, will start Tuesday at the Couples course in Silang. There, four slots will be dangled with the qualifiers joining the seeded Shin Suzuki and reigning PH Am champ Zeus Sara.