The seasoned Shinichi Suzuki and reigning Philippine Ladies Open champion Grace Quintanilla will banner the Philippine campaign in the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Junior Championship set to start Wednesday, Sept. 4 at the Manila Southwoods Legends course with a high-powered cast from 17 countries competing.
Hosting the event for the second straight year, the Philippines is fielding its strongest lineup to the competition for players 17 years and below in a bid to finally land a breakthrough win either in the individual or the mixed gender team play in the third staging of the junior championship that has become one of the major events in the APGC calendar.
Joining Suzuki, who is the fourth highest-rated player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings at No. 493 in the boys field after impressive performances in the Royal Junior Open, the Junior Open and Putra Cup, and Quintanilla are Geoffrey Tan, Charles David Serdenia, Reese Ng and Ally Gaccion.
Quintanilla, Ng and Gaccion played together for the country’s Queen Sirikit Cup campaign in New Zealand,
Aside from competing for the individual titles in their respective divisions, the six Philippine bets will also form the three pairs that will vie for the team title with Suzuki paired with Ng, Quintanilla teaming up with Serdenia and Gaccion joining hands with Tan.
Defending team champion Korea and the Philippines lead the 17 countries which have sent their best bets to the 54-hole tourney conducted by the APGC in coordination with the R&A, the National Golf Association of the Philippines and host Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club.
Also represented are Chinese Taipei, the EuropeanGolf Association, Guam, Hong Kong China, India, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
Hong Kong’s bid will be bannered by defending girls individual champion Arianna Lau who captured the girls 15-18 years division at the IMG Academy Junior World Championship last July and Anthony Fang, the Singaporean campaign will be led by Troy Storm, who has the highest WAGR status of 305th and Thailand by the SiwakornKirangkrai/KanyarakPongpithanon and ReerwutBoonseeor/ParatSukanant who are both carrying combined handicaps of +9.4.
Oh Soo-min, 13th in the WAGR, will try to replicate her starring role in the Queen Sirikit where she led Korea to a stirring team victory but is expected to have her hands full against Lou and the other top talents.
