Ira Alido is among the returning aces for the ICTSI Valley Golf Challenge. Pilipinas Golf/Handout.
MANILA -- At least six of the country's leading players will return to action in the ICTSI Valley Golf Challenge that starts on Tuesday, June 6, at the Valley Golf Club South course in Antipolo.
Ira Alido and Tony Lascuña, who topped the Bacolod and Caliraya Springs legs, respectively, resume their hunt for a second victory, along with Iloilo runaway winner Rupert Zaragosa. Also returning to the P2-M championship are multi-titled Clyde Mondilla, Zanieboy Gialon, Angelo Que and Justin Quiban.
Alido, Mondilla, Que and Quiban vied in the Asian Development Tour in Thailand, while Lascuna and Gialon are coming off stints in the Taiwan PGA Tour.
In their absence, Jhonnel Ababa came from behind to upstage Guido van der Valk and Joenard Rates to snatch a one-stroke victory in the ICTSI Villamor Philippine Masters last week. The three-time PGT Asia winner ended a four-year title spell in the circuit put up by ICTSI.
Also back on Tour are Lloyd Go, Sean Ramos, Gen Nagai, Kristoffer Arevalo and Leandro Bagtas with top amateurs Aidric Chan, Carl Corpuz, Kirby Lachica and Marvin Mendoza beefing up the cast as Tour invitees.
"My confidence level is high coming off a win," said Ababa. "I also don’t think we need to make some adjustments at Valley since we all know the course by heart even if we hadn’t played it for a long time."
This is the first time that Valley Golf is hosting a PGT leg in nine years.
Koreans Min Seong Kim and Hyun Ho Rho also look to figure in the title hunt after finishing sixth and ninth, respectively at the PH Masters, while Gabriel Manotoc, Josh Jorge, Russell Bautista, Jonas Magcalayo, Elee Bisera, Don Petil and Ivan Monsalve all seek a strong finish in the sixth leg of the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.-organized circuit.