IF form charts hold, Rico Depilo and Elee Bisera should be on vacation after the opening round of the ICTSI The Country Club Match Play Invitational.
Yet, in match play, you can never tell.
The P2-million, season-ending tournament gathers the country's top professionals and rising stars for 16 first-round duels, kicking off Tuesday (Nov. 26) at the tough TCC course in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Depilo and Bisera are the lowest seeds.
Lascuna is top seed
Top-seed Tony Lascuña, fresh off securing his fifth Order of Merit title, faces No. 32 Depilo, No. 2 Angelo Que battles promising youngster Bisera in two of the matches featured in the first round.
Lascuna himself is the first to say that a win isn't guaranteed, more so in match play.
“Kahit top seed ka, walang kasiguraduhan, depende sa mindset mo, paano mag-react at mag-adjust after each hole,” said Lascuña, who dominated the 2022 Match Play finals and finished runner-up to Miguel Tabuena in last year’s edition at TCC.
Third-ranked Reymon Jaraula takes on former Philippine Masters champion Jerson Balasabas, fourth-ranked Rupert Zaragosa squares off with Arnold Villacencio, and fifth seed Clyde Mondilla clashes with Nelson Huerva.
With Tabuena missing this year’s event due to overseas commitments, the spotlight falls on the top five seeds, joined by a stellar field of competitors, including Jhonnel Ababa, Guido van der Valk, Zanieboy Gialon, Hyun Ho Rho, Michael Bibat, Ira Alido, Ryan Monsalve, Russel Bautista, Kakeru Ozeki, Randy Garalde and Nilo Salahog.
Ababa faces Marvin Dumandan, van der Valk challenges veteran Mars Pucay, Gialon tests Eric Gallardo, and Rho takes on Francis Morilla.
Other notable first-round matchups include Bibat vs. Tae Soo Kim, Alido vs. Albin Engino, Monsalve vs. Dino Villanueva, Bautista vs. Collin Wheeler, Ozeki vs. Daiya Suzuki, Garalde vs. Jay Bayron, and Salahog vs. Art Arbole.
Held alongside the Ladies PGT, where defending champion Mikha Fortuna and 2022 winner Harmie Constantino headline the field, each match is set to deliver high-stakes drama as players face the relentless challenges of TCC’s demanding layout.
The men’s Round of 16 and the LPGT quarterfinals will unfold on Nov. 27. From there, the competition heats up for the PGT field with a grueling third day featuring quarterfinal matches in the morning and semifinals in the afternoon. Meanwhile, the LPGT semifinalists will battle it out on Thursday morning.
Both divisions will culminate on Nov. 29 with the finals and the playoff for third place, promising a climactic finish to this season-ending spectacle.
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