The ladies of the Philippine Golf Tour steel themselves up for another restart of the circuit forced to go on a second respite due to the spike of coronavirus late July with a two-tournament swing at Eagle Ridge and Tagaytay Highlands next month.
Princess Superal swept the two-leg resumption of the Ladies PGT at Sherwood Hills and at Eagle Ridge’s Norman course three months ago before the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. suspended play again due to the spike of Covid-19 infections in NCR Plus, which includes Cavite and Batangas, regular hosts of the various legs of the LPGT.
The national government, with its mass vaccination program in full throttle, has recently downgraded the alert level system in 14 provinces and five cities, paving the way for the resumption of the ladies pro circuit, among other sporting events.
The PGTI has reiterated its commitment to enforce strict guidelines and protocols to ensure the health and safety of all those involved.
“We’re very happy and grateful for the tour resumption,” said Superal, who held off Chanelle Avaricio by one at Sherwood then beat her again by three at Eagle Ridge last July.
“We have all been safe inside the ‘bubble.’” “We follow the health protocols so the tournaments staged during the pandemic have all been successful,” added Superal, referring to the two tournaments at Riviera that marked the first restart late last year.
The PGTI then kicked off its 2021 season last March, also at Eagle Ridge with Harmie Constantino shining in her pro debut, coming away with a two-stroke victory over Superal at Aoki.
But play was suspended again due to another surge in coronavirus cases in NCR Plus from the end of March to April and May before Superal re-stamped her class at Sherwood and Eagle Ridge.
The Eagle Ridge Ladies Classic on Nov. 2-5 at the Aoki layout will thus mark LPGT’s third restart while Tagaytay Highlands will host the next stop on Nov. 8-11.
The PGTI is likewise finalizing details to stage two more tournaments back at Riviera, also next month, that would keep the compact ladies field busy before the holiday season.
Despite the long break and lack of competitive play, the touring ladies stayed in shape through regular practice and range forays with Superal out to further toughen up in time for a qualifying stint in the LPGA of Japan Tour, also set next month.
The 2019 LPGT Order of Merit winner is trying to track down the route taken by Yuka Saso, who launched her pro career in Japan after falling short of her LPGA bid, immediately making an impact with two victories that earned her invites to play in the US, leading to her historic conquest of the US Women’s Open crown last June.
