Superal tests mettle vs top ladies pros

MANILA, Philippines—Princess Superal tackles her toughest test as an amateur when she slugs it out with some of the region’s top pros in the rich ICTSI Ladies Open that fires off on Wednesday at Southlinks Golf Club in Las Piñas.

Superal, eyeing to join the big league at the end of the year, spearheads the amateur contingent in the $75,000 tournament presented by Champion Infinity and serving as the fourth stage of the Taiwan LPGA and the kickoff leg of this year’s ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

The reigning US Girls’ Junior champion won her first overseas stint last month in California but faces an uphill battle against a slew of talented pros from Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and the United States over a course that requires precision play.

“There are pick-up spots at Southlinks,” said Superal, who bested local pros twice in the local Ladies Professional Golf Circuit. “Save for the par-5s, some holes require conservative approach. The key is to hit the fairway.”

The field tests the par-72 layout in a practice round today and again tomorrow in the pro-am tournament along with officials and guests of the event’s chief backers, including ICTSI, Nike, Sharp and Custom Clubmakers.