Delos Santos answers call to keep PH Open crown in country

With Asia’s oldest national golf championship making its highly anticipated return, the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) is rallying top Filipino players to keep the title on home soil for the Smart Infinity Philippine Open set to get off the ground in two weeks.

Among the standouts answering the call is Justin Delos Santos, a Japan Tour regular eager to seize the championship in his first return to the Philippines in four years.

“I will [go] there to win,” said the 29-year-old Delos Santos, who grew up in the United States. “It would be a special tournament to win.”

The $500,000 (about P29 million) event, slated for Jan. 23 to 26 at Manila Southwoods’ Masters course in Carmona, Cavite, has drawn top names from across Asia, promising intense competition.

NGAP extended invitations to several Philippine golf luminaries, including US PGA Tour rising star Rico Hoey, Japan Tour veteran Juvic Pagunsan, two-time LPGA winner Yuka Saso and women’s amateur standout Rianne Malixi. Although Hoey, Pagunsan, and Saso, who carries a Japanese passport now, declined due to other commitments, Malixi will challenge the men’s field, while Delos Santos plans to arrive early to maximize his preparation.

“The Filipinos in the field are formidable, and having Rianne there brings excitement and unpredictability,” said NGAP president Martin Lorenzo. “Our countrymen have a real chance to keep the title on home soil, which would be a great source of pride for our country.”

Former Philippine Open champion Miguel Tabuena, currently the highest-ranked Filipino golfer at No. 267 in the world, will also compete.