CARMONA — For the frontrunners in the Asian Tour's Order of Merit race, the winner of the 108th playing of the Philippine Open could be determined by how well two holes are played starting on Thursday.
Two par-5s for members of the Manila Southwoods' Masters course — Nos. 4 and 15 — will be made to play a stroke less each, making the Jack Nicklaus-designed gem a par-70 for the week.
And Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand and Aussie Travis Smyth, who are running one-two in the OOM heading into the final stop of the season, believe those are the holes that could help decide the outcome on Sunday.
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"You can make so many mistakes there," Tangkamolprasert said. "Those are very tough, long holes. Especially now that the winds are blowing."
The fourth hole would require a drive to the center of the fairway before a player faces a second shot of close to 200 yards to a small green that is guarded by a deep ravine front and right, bunkers on the left and hazard behind it.
The 15th, meanwhile, seems to be the more perilous one as the approach would have the player trying to avoid a water hazard on the left and deep bunkers behind the green.
The $1 million (P64 million) championship presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will be particularly important to a handful of foreign bets still in the running to top the OOM race, as the season No. 1 earns a full exemption next year to the more lucrative DP World Tour (formerly European Tour).
"I will just trust the process (that has got me leading the OOM)," Tangkamolprasert told a packed press conference on Tuesday afternoon after playing nine holes and saying that "I didn't make a single putt. The greens are so tricky."
What he has done for the year, though, has worked.
"I will not change anything as far as how I approach the tournament is concerned," he said. "If I finish second, I will congratulate the winner."
Smyth also pointed to the fourth and 15th holes as potential pitfalls to anyone, especially when it comes to later in the week when the field is fatigued.
"They are not birdie holes by any means," he said. "And there's a chance you can really put up big numbers there."
Both holes will measure a little over 500 yards, and with fairways narrowed in the landing areas, avoiding the 3.5-inch roughs for a clear shot a the greens will be very important.
Angelo Que also made an appearance in the press conference and was as gracious as ever.
"I don't play as much (internationally) anymore, but hey, this is my national Open," the 47-year-old Que, the 2008 champion, said. "Of course, I will try my very best."
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