LUISITA — A 46-strong local contingent will tee it up on Wednesday in the $100,000 (around P6 million) Bingo Plus Philippine ADT Open at the historic Luisita course here, with the most established ace in the field chasing a career-first win at the Robert Trent Jones-designed layout.
“Yes, I haven’t. That’s why I am motivated,” Angelo Que said, referring to a victory at the storied venue that has hosted several major international and local events, including multiple Philippine Opens. “It’s never too late to win one (here), although the course is playing much tougher from what I am used to.”
The 47-year-old Que, who joined the traditional Pro-Am on Tuesday, noted that the course “has gotten longer” after recent rains softened the fairways over the past few days, adding, “The greens are also slow (during the event) and that could be a problem if they decide to speed them up for the tournament.”
This marks the second major professional event hosted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines this year, following the President’s Cup at Wack Wack in January. A third is set with the Asian Tour’s International Series Philippine Open at Manila Southwoods later this year.
Que, who won the last Philippine Golf Tour stop at Caliraya in come-from-behind fashion last month, said that with a full field that also includes 82 international entries, the battle for the title is wide open. He also named Sean Ramos, a past ADT leg winner, and big-hitting Keanu Jahns as two other Filipinos to watch.
Clyde Mondilla, another former Philippine Open champion like Que, is also in the field, along with Fidel Concepcion, who broke through as a pro last year at Apo Golf in Davao—a layout that shares striking similarities with Luisita.
A lean but talented amateur field will also see action. Shinichi Suzuki, a multiple-time Philippine team member playing out of Manila Southwoods, leads a six-man amateur group that includes Rolando Bregente and Chris Remata.
This will be the sixth of 13 stops on the ADT season, which will also stage tournaments in Thailand, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia.
The highest-ranked Filipino in the ADT Order of Merit entering Luisita at No. 10, Ramos comes off a three-man playoff loss in the ADT Players Championship in Malaysia last month and will be eager to bounce back on home soil.
