CARMONA - Manila Southwoods has, in putting it plainly, taken hosting of the 108th Philippine Open presented by the Philippine Sports Commission rather personally.
From making sure that its Masters layout is in its best possible shape and to taking care of the fans by opening its doors free of charge, the posh layout has endorsed the best possible bets at its disposal and is looking to win it all this week.
Southwoods used its fourth and last slot to field Jung Jae Hyun, a former standout of its successful team program that dominated PAL Interclub and Fil-Am tournaments, making the club well represented in the $1 million (around P64M) championship.
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Jeung, who stayed in the Philippines for 12 years, will be coming off an impressive victory in the Korean PGA's Tour Championship just last Sunday for his first win in his home circuit.
"I'm excited that the (PH Open) is at that course," Jeung told the Chosun Daily last Sunday after his win. "The tournament is at a course which I (played) since childhood."
The 21-year-old, who has adopted the nickname Jeff, grew up playing the game at Southwoods with his father being an expat here and club member. He later on represented the club for a good five years in the Interclub and Fil-Am championships before turning pro.
In winning last Sunday after closing out with a flawless eight-under-par 64 at Teddy Valley Golf and Resort, Jeung became the third ex-Southwoods player to win in major tours abroad after Tom Kim in the US PGA and Yuto Katsuragawa, who just won a DP World Tour and Japan Tour event even three weeks ago.
"It just goes to show that our program is working," Jayson Yu, the general manager of Southwoods, said. "Having the boys train here in our facilities is a vision of chairman Bob (Sobrepena) and the board."
"We will be watching Jeff with great pleasure this week and will be rooting for all our boys."
Katsuragawa, who played last year when Julien Sale of France won, had initially committed only to beg off after his latest DP World Tour win gave him a slot in the year-ending Race to Dubai championship.
Meanwhile, the bulk of the foreign field has planed in, with a huge chunk of them, counting former PGA star and LIV mainstay Kevin Na, heading straight to Carmona to sample the Jack Nicklaus-created layout.
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