Go faces acid test in back-to-back bid vs stellar field

MANILA, Philippines — Lois Kaye Go will all have the motivation to shoot for a repeat as she banners the women’s field in the National Stroke Play Championship firing off Tuesday at Riviera’s Langer course in Silang, Cavite.

Member of the gold medal winning teams in the Asian Games in 2018 and in the SEA Games last December, the University of South Carolina senior hopes to keep her winning ways in the event she ruled last year by humbling the likes of Asian Games and SEAG gold medalist Bianca Pagdanganan and Thai world No. 1 Atthaya Thitikul at the hazard-laden par-71 layout.

Go surged past Thitikul with a third-round 70 then held off Pagdanganan’s final-round charge with another one-under card to claim the coveted crown.

Though the fancied duo won’t be around to challenge the Cebuana ace, this year’s cast remains as talent-laden as ever with reigning WExpress RVF Cup and MVPSF Visayas regional champion Junia Gabasa, Philippine Junior Amateur, Philippine Amateur Open Match Play and Northern Luzon Regional titlist Rianne Malixi leading the roster of challengers.

Throw in Cangolf Open winner Nicole Abelar and Riviera MVPSF Amateur champion Kim Seo Yun of South Korea, Go is indeed headed for another challenging week at one of the country’s toughest courses.

Beefing up the roster in the 72-hole championship kicking off this year’s PLDT Group National Amateur Tour are Diana Araneta, Tomi Arejola, Laia Barro, Sophia Blanco, Sofia Chabon, Samantha Dizon, Laurea Duque, Bernice Ilas, Samantha Martirez and Eagle Ace Superal with Hong Kong’s Vivian Lee out to pull off a surprise.

Japanese Riko Nagai, a sophomore at Radford University in Virginia, is also in the list, ready to foil Go and the rest of the locals with hopes of completing a sibling sweep of the event with Gen Nagai seeking to defend his crown in the men’s side of the tournament.