Tour offers severe test in Orchard

The brutal conditions of the previous leg should have prepared the men of the tour for another tougher test as they play the Palmer course of the Orchard Golf and Country Club for the 11th leg of the First Gentleman’s Professional Golf Circuit presented by San Miguel Beer starting today.

Shaken by the gale-force winds and the tricky greens of Midlands Course last week in Tagaytay, the touring pros should have made the right adjustments they need for the battle for top honors in this event serving as the penultimate leg of a 12-leg circuit bankrolled by First Gentleman Mike Arroyo and San Miguel Beer with WG&A Super Ferry as the official carrier.

For sure, the greens will be just as tough, and the winds, yes not for the faint-hearted.

But what could make the task tougher at the Orchard are the long holes that require a lot more than the low shots last week’s winner Rey Pagunsan used to snap a two-year title drought on local soil.

"You need an assortment of shots to tame the course, low and high shots, fades and hooks and most especially good putts," said Orchard golf director Andy Maglipon who is with the organizing Federation of Golf Clubs Philippines, Inc.

The winds are blowing from all directions at this time of the year and it is important for the field of about 80 players to quickly get the feel of the course.

Though most of them are quite familiar with the contours of the layout designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer which hosted the 1995 Johnnie Walker Classic, much have changed with the par-72 course since they last played it for tournament play.

The greens are now of the TifEagle kind, a breed that combined with their new shapes allow for the easiest pin placements but the fastest speed and biggest breaks.

An interesting side-event is the battle for the Order of Merit honors where OOM leader leader Mars Pucay tows the pack with earnings of P377,250 after posting back-to-back wins in Mindanao.

Breathing down his neck is Canlubang leg winner Richard Sinfuego (P355,000) and the in-form Cassius Casas, who has P344,750 so far from his victories in Del Monte and Sherwood Hills. Pagunsan’s victory moved from 16th to solo sixth with P212,250.

There is so much pressure for the frontrunners to get their games finetuned before the series winds up next week at the Manila Southwoods.

After the decision of Wack Wack to scrap the Philippine Open, the pros will have another chance to vie for more money in a cash-rich tournament put up by Ricky Razon of ICTSI and separate from the First Gentleman’s Circuit two weeks from now at The Country Club.

Also seeing action are Benjie Magada, who is a two-leg winner like Casas and Pucay, Bacolod champion Angelo Que and Sta. Elena titlist Antonio Lascuna. Cookie Lao, who made a big comeback by tying for third last week, is also entered.