Fiery start seen as CAT Open reels off

TARLAC, Philippines — Local bets have the edge but the foreign aces, including seven Australians out to keep their good run of form in the second season of the Philippine Golf Tour Asia, set out to foil the hosts’ bid in the CAT (Central Azucarera de Tarlac) Open beginning today at the Luisita Golf and Country Club.

Clyde Mondilla banners the Filipinos’ campaign in the $100,000 championship serving as the sixth leg of PGT Asia, upbeat of his chances for another title crack after ending a season-long struggle with a two-shot victory in the PGT’s final leg right here at Luisita last Friday.

But while the Del Monte ace and the likes of defending champion Justin Quiban and fellow PGT Asia leg winners Jobim Carlos (Riviera), Jay Bayron (Southwoods) and Jhonnel Ababa (Forest Hills) will be banking on their local knowledge of the layout, their foreign rivals are all coming into the 72-hole championship in top form, guaranteeing a shootout right at the start of the blue-ribbon event.

The way it was in last week’s ICTSI Luisita Invitational where Mondilla out-steadied Aussie Tim Stewart and Peter Stojanovski of Macedonia in a final round duel in sweltering heat on a hazard-laden course that puts premium on accuracy, including on the 214-yard par-3 17th.

Stewart and Stojanovski, who blew their bid on Luisita’s signature hole, are back raring to get back at Mondilla but a host of other foreign bets are also into the fold, all geared up for a crack at the crown, including Sam Gillis, who has had a couple of forgettable stints in this year’s PGTA but is coming off a playoff victory in Malaysia last week.

Gillis, 25, leads a talent-laden cast of US players seeking to score a first win on PGT Asia, including regular campaigners Nicolas Paez, John Michael O’Toole, Lexus Keoninh, and Andy Kang.