Local bets up to foreign challenge at Hallow Ridge
Antonio Lascuña is embracing the challenge of a foreign contingent coming in to join the chase for the Stronghold Insurance Senior Open’s centerpiece title.
“Good competition won’t hurt a tournament,” Lascuña said in Filipino even as he downplayed his status as the favorite in the 50-59 Senior class where Orlan Sumcad, Elmer Salvador and Mars Pucay are also entered together with five foreign bets. “We welcome them to the event.
“It would be an honor for us Filipinos to be sharing the course with them.”
For the first time, a senior pro event that will be played in multiple rounds will tee off on Monday, with the field playing for the biggest champion’s purse yet of P150,000 as Stronghold president Jun delos Reyes gives back to the senior pros who have a special place in his heart.
Meanwhile, former PH Open and Masters champion Robert Pactolerin headlines the 60-69 (Super Senior) field, where Chuan Campbell, the president of the Asian Senior Tour, will be campaigning. This division is also set for 54 holes with a 36-hole cut like the Senior class.
Matt Blundell and Karl Russell of Australia and Nik Banchoff of the United States are three of the five foreigners playing in the premier division, even as a bracket for those who are 70-and-above, to be known as the Legends, will have a lean field battling it out for a P50,000 winner’s check.
“It obviously adds a good flavor to the tournament,” Pactolerin, now 63 and still one of the most successful pros the country has produced, also in Filipino. “And make no mistake about it, we’re up to the challenge of competing against them.”
Benjie Magada and Arnold Villacencio are also playing as they enter a new realm after relatively impressive regular men’s careers in the Philippine Golf Tour circuit.
“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.”
