Regaining his winning form, Clyde Mondilla sets out as the player to beat when the Philippine Golf Tour resumes tomorrow for the R2 million ICTSI Splendido Classic at the wind-swept Splendido Taal Golf and Country Club in Tagaytay.
Miguel Tabuena and Angelo Que, who finished 1-2 here last year, won’t be around to compete against some of the world’s best in the Omega European Masters also slated this week in Switzerland, leaving Mondilla and a slew of local aces and foreign bets to fight for the top R360,000 purse in the 14th leg of the circuit sponsored by ICTSI.
Mondilla turned what had appeared to be a losing stand into a winning act, foiling Orlan Sumcad to snare the ICTSI Classic crown despite a double-bogey on the first playoff hole in Lipa City, Batangas last weekend.
The 23-year-old Mondilla hit an errant drive and needed four shots to reach the 18th of Mt. Malipunyo but Sumcad overshot the par-4 playoff hole and went out-of-bounds and made it to the green in five, enabling the Del Monte ace to snatch the victory, his third counting his back-to-back feats at Eastridge and Calatagan.
But the playoff setback is expected to toughen up Sumcad as he resumes his quest for a breakthrough victory in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
With Jay Bayron, Tony Lascuña and Marvin Dumandan, the next top three players at ICTSI Classic, also out to press their bid along with a host of others, another down-to-the-wire finish is expected in the 72-hole championship.
Mondilla, Sumcad, Bayron, Lascuña and Dumandan, along with 15 other top pros test the tough Splendido layout in today’s traditional pro-am tournament.