Open cast put to the test today

They reversed the layout of the historic course and put up an exacting test of will and character to those setting out today in the Casino Filipino 87th Philippine Open.

Tough and demanding as it is even minus the galeforce winds that sweep this place this time of the year, Wack Wack East offers a formidable challenge with daunting make-or-break finishing holes.

An impressive cast led by the country’s finest pro will tee off at the start of the four-day event, long regarded as Asia’s oldest Open, which staked $175,000 as the sixth leg of the 2002 Davidoff Tour.

There are four former champions in the fold led by top Filipino pro Frankie Miñoza whose sheer presence, coupled with the proximity of the venue to the home fans, ensure a successful Open.

Interests are high in the Open week and huge crowds are expected over the weekend. The event is presented by San Miguel Corporation in cooperation with Mitsubishi Motors.

Miñoza, ranked 17th in the Japanese PGA Tour last year, skipped the Carlsberg Malaysian Open last week, to focus on the RP Open and build up on stamina after a bout with the flu during the Caltex Singapore Masters.

The 42-year old Miñoza is trying out a new swing with higher ball trajectory best suited in compact courses like Wack Wack but his confidence remains suspect after missing the cut in Singapore.

" Wala pa masyadong kumpiansa pero tingnan natin, " said Miñoza.

Then there’s defending champion Cassius Casas who has yet to make an impact in the season. He hasn’t played competitive golf of late after failing to advance in the Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia.

The dusky long-hitter won this event last year with six-under par 282 but he made the feat in the rain and mud in June when Wack Wack was not at its meannest.

Another Filipino champ, Gerald Rosales, winner in 2000 at Riviera, is also worth watching. "I am quite happy with the way I have been striking the ball and I am confident of doing well this week," he said.

Korea’s Anthony Kang, ranked eighth in the current Order of Merit and the RP Open champ in 1999, made impressive finishes in Singapore and Malaysia – joint 10th and joint 11th, respectively, and hopes to sustain that form this week.

" My game is slowly coming around since I started working out with a coach last year," said Kang.

There are other tour big guns also enjoying good form. Canadian World Cupper Rick Gibson, who is an Alabang resident for years, American Mike Cunning and Myanmar’s Kyi La Han, who topped the Davidoff Order of Merit two years ago.

Although they all found the course in excellent shape, no one was bold enough to predict an abundance of low scores in the next four days. The East course plays to a long 7,053 yards and its defenses are all up, from rugged winding and hard fairways, ancient trees, thick roughs and slick greens.

" Never in Wack Wack," said Gibson when asked if subpars would dot the leaderboard.

And for some final touches to the drama about to unfold, organizers decided to reverse the two nines and come up with tough finishing holes. The 16th formerly the 7th, is a par 4 343-yard guarded by a huge pond, the 17th (8th) a do-or-die 168-yard par 3 whose elevated green which locals call "camel’s back" is surrounded by deep bunkers. The final hole is a par four with a deep ditch at the end of the fairways. It would need a long uphill second shot against the wind that could spell victory or defeat.