Singson ready to chase second pro title at Binitin
Mafy Singson is happy where her game is at, but the talented 22-year-old constantly reminds herself that nothing can be taken for granted, especially up against a talented field starting on Tuesday in the P750,000 ICTSI Bacolod Challenge of the Ladies PGT.
“I always have something to work on,” Singson told the Inquirer over the phone on Sunday, hours after sampling the tree-lined layout formerly known as Binitin in Murcia town. “Drives and approaches are what would matter [this week], so I have to be really careful.”
Singson, a daughter of crooner Chad Borja, is coming off a seventh-place finish at Caliraya Springs more than two weeks back, and with her game going smoothly, she feels that she has some sort of advantage here.
“The greens are slower [than the courses we usually play] and that is sort of good for me because it’s similar to the greens I practice at,” she said, referring to the tough-as-nails Apo Golf layout in her native Davao. “This is like a shorter but tighter Apo. And it will be a big challenge for everyone. With Princess Superal withdrawing because of a nagging shoulder injury, Singson, like Pauline del Rosario, Harmie Constantino, Sarah Ababa, Chihiro Ikeda and Florence Bisera are left as the headliners, as she guns for her second professional victory.
Superal, who won the Caliraya Springs leg, is in need of shoulder therapy, according to a bulletin released by the circuit.
Del Rosario, meanwhile, is on a break from her busy Epson Tour schedule in the US, while Constantino is looking to win for the first time this season.
Singson broke through last March at Eagle Ridge, though she already had two prior victories as an amateur in the circuit, which came at Valley Golf and Splendido.
The ward of swing guru Bong Lopez, who also plays out of Manila Southwoods, is actually using the next two weeks as a tuneup before she flies to South Korea for the Hanna Bank Open, a tough international tournament where some of the best in Asia will be teeing up.
“I hope to be able to take some momentum going there,” she said.
Another notable name that is also entered in Lois Kaye Go, the Cebu native who will be playing in the next two weeks as she gears up for a reported stint in the United States later in the year as she chases her own LPGA dreams.
Meanwhile, the 72-hole, P2 million men’s championship also starts on Tuesday, with Del Monte native Reymon Jaraula defending his title against a similarly loaded field led by Angel Que and young guns Aidric Chan, Sean Ramos and Carl Corpuz.
