Top guns due for Casino Open

Some of the top shotmakers from Asia and other parts of the world are expected to clash for the top $32,000 purse in the rich Casino Filipino Open golf championship which gets underway Feb. 17 at the Masters Course of the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club.

But it will be the big guns of the local tour who will be trying to strive for recognition in the $200,000 championship, this being the second leg of the Asian PGA circuit, also known as the Davidoff Tour, which was recently awarded world ranking status.

That means the Davidoff Tour is now included in the Official World Golf ranking system and the local pros, led by Asian PGA Tour regular campaigners Cassius Casas, Rodrigo Cuello and Danny Zarate, are expected to dish out their very best in a bid to gain precious world ranking points.

A total of 184 players, including 25 Filipinos, will see action in the four-day championship sponsored by Casino Filipino, through the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. The Casino Filipino Open hopes to become a regular leg of the Davidoff Tour although it was the title sponsor of last year's Philippine Open.

"Golf continues to grow in popularity and is the ideal sport for Casino Filipino to be associated with. Many people who visit our casinos play golf and enjoy watching professional tournaments. The Casino Filipino Open is a natural progression for us that will reach casino goers in the Philippines and beyond," said Alice Reyes, chair and chief executive officer of Pagcor.

"We are extremely excited about adding a new event to the Asian golfing calendar. The Casino Filipino Open will have all the ingredients required to stage a truly international golf tournament. The tournament's place in the Davidoff Tour will guarantee that the best players in Asia will compete," Reyes added.

Among the foreign players expected to play are Japanese Tour campaigners Zaw Moe and Kim Jong-duck, Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Andhwa of India, Prayad Marksaeng and Boonchu Ruangkit of Thailand, Park No-seok of South Korea, James Kingson of South Africa, Peter Terevainen and Ted Turdy of the United States, Satoshi Oide of Japan and Anthony Kang of South Korea, winner of last year's Philippine Open. - With reports from Joey Villar