Visayan hopefuls, led by Bacolod’s rising stars, are out to defend their home turf in the second leg of the ICTSI Junior PGT Visayas-Mindanao Series on May 14 to 16.
Capitalizing on their familiarity with the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club layout in Bacolod City and home crowd support, local bets Ana Marie Aguilar, Cecilia Jalandoni and Anezka Golez will challenge Mactan leg winner Denise Mendoza in the girls’ 7-10 category.
In the girls’ 11-14 class, Gabriela Regino and Chelsea Ogborne will try to stop Brittany Tamayo from securing a second straight title. The other challengers are Davao’s Johanna Uyking and Cebu’s Andrea Borromeo.
Meanwhile, Mactan leg champion Ralph Batican of Bukidnon will be up against Bacolod’s Isaac Locsin and Zach Casil in the boys’ 11-14 category of the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
The premier boys’ 15-18 category features Bacolod’s Santi Asuncion, Raphael Aguilar and John Rey Oro, Cebu’s Nyito and Yosef Tiongko, and Mindanao standouts James Teves and Blake Bautista.
In the girls’ 15-18 category, Tashanah Balangauan is expected to face tough competition from local standouts Breanna Rojas and Amelia Valderrama.
The seven-leg Visayas-Mindanao Series then shifts to the Bacolod Golf and Country Club in Binitin, Murcia on May 19 to 21, before heading to Mindanao for a four-leg swing at Del Monte Golf Club on June 25 to 27.
Players must participate in at least three tournaments to qualify for the national finals. The top four in each age-group category will make up the Vis-Min team that will compete against the top performers from the Luzon series for the season-ending championship on Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 at The Country Club in Laguna. *PNA