A CRACK set of foreigners led by Australian tour campaigners Matt Blundell and Karl Russell is out to spoil a Filipino party when the Stronghold Insurance Senior Open gets off the ground on Monday at tricky Hallow Ridge in San Pedro, Laguna.
Blundell and Russell will campaign in the centerpiece 50-59 Senior division where they will give favorites Antonio Lascuna, Orlan Sumcad and Mars Pucay a run for their money, even as Asia Pacific Senior tour president Chuan Campbell sets his sights on the 60-69 (Super Senior) crown where a battle with ex-PH Open and Masters champ Robert Pactolerin, among others, awaits.
Seniors' moment
There will be a total of seven foreigners in the 85-strong field, with the others coming from India, Japan, the United States and Taiwan, offering a challenge to the local pros in the fledging tournament put up by Stronghold big boss Romulo delos Reyes Jr. to give local senior pros something worth playing for.
"That's good for the tournament, good for Philippine golf," Lascuna said in Filipino during a practice round at Manila Southwoods where he plays out of. "We welcome them to the event. It would be an honor for us Filipinos to be sharing the course with them."
Pactolerin, now 63, is also embracing the challenge of playing in an international field.
"It obviously adds a good flavor to the tournament," Pactolerin, a native of Bacolod, said, also in Filipino after sharpening his short game at Villamor, the site of some of his biggest wins. "And make no mistake about it, we're up to the challenge of competing against them."
Tournament format calls for the Senior and Super Senior players to play three rounds -counting the pro-am on Monday, where a cut among the top 50-percent of scores and ties will be made. The Legends division reserved for those who are 70 and above will be played over 18 holes on Wednesday.
No other senior pro tournament has offered a cash purse this big, with the centerpiece event dangling P150,000 to the champion and the Super Senior title worth P100,000 as organizers aim to professionalize a circuit as early as next year and not make the event a one-off.
"We are very appreciative of the efforts of Mr. Delos Reyes," Lascuna added. "This gives us something to look forward to and work hard for. We are all looking for the thrill of the competition."
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