Confident Arevalo eyes LPGT repeat

MANILA, Philippines — Back on the very site of one of her biggest amateur triumphs, Abby Arevalo looks ready and eager for a reprise of her feat three years ago – not just to get back at fancied Princess Superal but also to nail a breakthrough victory just two tournaments into her pro campaign.

The San Jose State U product finished second to Superal in the first of two Ladies Philippine Golf Tour bubble tournaments, the ICTSI Riviera Invitational Challenge at the Couples course three weeks ago. But the ICTSI Riviera Championship unfolding tomorrow evokes warm memories for the rising star who spiked a brilliant amateur career with a thrilling victory at Riviera’s Langer course three years ago.

“Anything can happen at Langer, which is my favorite course in the country. I definitely have a lot of confidence playing it,” said Arevalo, who birdied No. 18 to nip then brand-new pro Pauline del Rosario by one and snare the LPGT Riviera crown in 2017, joining the elite roster of amateurs who have won in the country’s premier ladies circuit.

“I’ve never been so excited to come back and play Langer again. I know the course well. I won my first pro event as an amateur at Langer and I’m not afraid to do it again,” said the 2020 Philippine Ladies Open runaway champion.

Meanwhile, Bianca Pagdanganan cranked up her driving and checked her putting woes but continued to struggle with her iron game as she stumbled with another 78 and tumbled to last in the 76-player surviving field in the Volunteers of America Classic in The Colony, Texas Saturday.