With her rousing pro debut abruptly halted by tour suspension due to the surge of coronavirus cases in NCR Plus, Harmie Constantino gets the chance to resume her drive for another Ladies Philippine Golf Tour diadem when the ICTSI Sherwood Ladies Challenge is fired off on Wednesday at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Trece Martires, Cavite.
But the diminutive former national team standout said she is more relieved than thrilled heading to the 54-hole championship which marks the second restart of the circuit, which took another break last March following a long hiatus last year due to the outbreak of the global health crisis.
“Super thankful that tournaments are finally resumed,” said Constantino, who held off multi-titled Princess Superal to mark her pro debut with a two-stroke victory in the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Challenge at the Aoki course before play was suspended.
Like everybody else, Constantino stayed in game shape during the lull in anticipation of the tour resumption with the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. lining up a four-tournament calendar under strict health and safety guidelines enforced by the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) and GAB (Games and Amusements Board), keeping the country’s touring pros busy for the next five weeks.
“During the long break, I would work out and train three-to-five times, go the gym, do a short game and putting drills, and play twice a week,” added the former Univ. of Georgia mainstay.
She hopes to put them all in harness against a field also raring to get going on a course, kept in championship condition all-season long, tipped to test not only the field’s shotmaking skills but also their mental toughness given its natural layout punctuated by bunkers.
Superal, for one, is out for a payback with the P750,000 event put up by ICTSI also serving as part of the 2019 LPGT Order of Merit titlist’s buildup for the resumption of her campaign in the Step Up Tour in Japan in October.
Expect the likes of Daniella Uy, Marvi Monsalve, Chanelle Avaricio, Sunshine Baraquiel, Apple Fudolin, Sheryl Villacencio, and Gretchen Villacencio to likewise go all out in pursuit of a breakthrough in the event which also features amateurs Rev Lizbeth Alcantara, Burberry Zhang, and Jane Jeong.
Sarah Ababa, meanwhile, returns to the very course where she posted her first and only victory in the circuit, hoping to draw some motivation in an attempt to snap a six-year title spell while Chihiro Ikeda expects to come out strong, completely healed from a hand injury that has hampered her past campaigns.
From Sherwood, the action moves to the Eagle Ridge for the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Ladies Classic on July 14-16 at the Norman course then to Riviera, also in Cavite, for the ICTSI Riviera Ladies Challenge on July 28-30 at the Langer course. The Couples layout, also at Riviera, will also host the next stop for the ICTSI Riviera Ladies Challenge on Aug. 4-6.
