Strongest foreign field assembled for Open

Seventeen of the top 35 players in the current Asian Tour Order of Merit rankings are expected to see action in next week’s $150,000 88th DHL-Philippine Open at Riviera’s Langer layout, easily making it one of the strongest fields ever in its storied staging.

Thai ace Boonchu Ruangkit, running third behind Hideto Tanihara of Japan and Indian Jyoti Randhawa in the OOM derby after three legs of the Asian Tour, heads the crack roster of foreign players set to fight it out with the local bets for the top $24,225 (roughly P1.4 million) purse in the country’s premier golf championship slated Feb. 26-29.

At 47, Ruangkit is one of the veterans in the fold but the Thai shotmaker remains a force to reckon with even when ranged against the upcoming stars in the region, underscoring his readiness by scoring a come-from-behind victory in last month’s Thailand Open.

There is also Park Unho, the Korea-born Australian who finished third in the just-concluded Myanmar Open won by Thai Thongchai Jaidee while former RP Open champion Anthony Kang of the US, who wound up sixth in Myanmar, is likewise coming over to seek his second crown in the event presented by San Miguel Corp.

Park and Kang occupy the 14th and 15th places, respectively, in the OOM ranking behind defending champion Rick Gibson, the smooth-swinging Manila-based Canadian who will be among the men to watch in the upcoming event, sponsored by DHL Express, Mitsubishi Motors, Phils., BMG Solar and Mizuno, Makati City and U-Bix Corp. and serving as the fifth leg of the 19-stage Asian Tour.

Other bets in the upper half of the Asian Tour ranking are Americans Gary Rusnak, Mike Cunning, Jason Knutzon, Edward Loar and Jim Johnson; Terry Pilkadaris, Paul Spargo and Richard Moir of Australia; Craig Kramps of South Africa, Harmeet Kahlon of India, Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing; and Thammanoon Srirot and Prom Meesawat of Thailand.

Meanwhile, former national team mainstay Ria Quiazon arrived yesterday morning from the US to compete in the Open together with former RP Ladies champion Heidi Chua.

The two lady golfers will spice up the four-day tournament although they are not given much hope to contend for the crown owing to the depth of the competing field.

European Tour regular Jeev Milkha Singh is also in the 159-player roster, that includes 26 Filipino pros, further adding luster and prestige to the event that has likewise attracted former RP Open champions Yeh Chang-ting and Hsieh Chin-shen of Taiwan.

"With some of the best in Asia competing, the entry list in the DHL-RP Open is truly one of the strongest in years," said Patrick Young, director of the Asian Tour, the new group now at the helm of Asian golf.

The Australian official, who is married to a Filipina, added that a team from the Asian Tour is arriving Thursday to see the preparations being made by the organizing National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) and at the same time make an ocular inspection of the venue in Silang, Cavite.

Heading the local charge are Frankie Minoza, Cassius Casas, Robert Pactolerin and Gerald Rosales — all former RP Open champions — along with the likes of Angelo Que, Carito Villaroman, Danny Zarate, Mars Pucay and newly-turned pro and former two-time national amateur titlist Jerome Delariarte.