Arevalo spearheads PH Team out to defend home turf

Kristoffer Arevalo says he’s never been more ready for an event like this.—CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CARMONA, CAVITE—Kristoffer Arevalo will be living a dream starting on Tuesday and says that he will hold nothing back as he spearheads Team Philippines in the 29th playing of the Nomura Cup at Manila Southwoods’ Masters layout.

“I will attack all four days,” Arevalo told the Inquirer minutes after playing nine holes of the official practice round Monday morning. “This is what I have been preparing for. This is the opportunity that I want and I won’t hold anything back.”

The 23-year-old, who knows the Jack Nicklaus-designed gem like the back of his hands, will be the anchor of an underdog national squad that will also have Elle Bisera and Coby Rolida as they battle the best of the Asia-Pacific region led by powerhouse Australia and defending champion Thailand.

“Realistically, a top five finish is achievable,” Arevalo, battle-toughened from several international stints leading up to this event, said. “We just have to get some things fall our way and who knows?”

The par-72 layout was battered by Typhoon “Paeng” two weeks ago, and the exclusive club’s crack grounds crew was very successful in getting it back into championship shape that Southwoods manager Jerome Delariarte sees a low-scoring tournament owing to the depth of the field.

“The team champion, I think, will definitely be shooting something like 20-under for the four rounds,” Delariarte, also a Nomura Cup veteran and champion pro, said in a separate interview. “And we have a [PH] team that will be up to the challenge.”

Japan, South Korea and New Zealand are the other crack countries in the field.

Australia, which will be represented here by Jack Buchanan, Jye Pickin and Quinnton Croker, has won this three-to-play, two-to-count event a record 10 times. Cameron Smith, the reigning British Open champion, bannered the 2013 champion team from Down Under.

“This is a dream come true for me,” Arevalo, the 14-15 Junior World champion in 2013, said. “And I will be living that dream this week and I can’t wait to defend our home, our court.”

Bisera, Rolida and Arevalo came out on top of a 90-hole qualifying series held at the Masters two months ago, and Bisera, Delariarte said, looms as the formidable backup owing to some prior national team experience. INQ