Murakami ready for Open defense

Manila, Philippines - Artemio Murakami cranked up his build-up for his ICTSI-Philippine Open title defense with a runner-up finish in the Asian Development Tour leg last Sunday, confident of a repeat against a field toughened up by a stellar cast of international players.

Murakami charged back in the final round to spoil then amateur Miguel Tabuena’s title drive and a slew of others to win last year’s all-peso Phl Open at Valley. But the 27-year-old former national champion faces a tougher task this week with no fewer than 25 winners on the Asian Tour vying in the $300,000 event beginning Thursday at Wack Wack’s east layout.

“I hope to keep my momentum going until this weekend,” said Murakami after pocketing $7,666 for his runner-up finish to American Jonathan Moore in the PGM-ADT CCM Impian Classic in Selangor, Malaysia.

He actually blew a three-shot lead with nine holes left with a shaky finish of a 38 and a 69 for a 19-under 269, enabling Moore to cruise to a three-shot win with a closing 67-266. But the Fil-Japanese shotmaker remains upbeat of his chances in the country’s premier golf championship which is making its return to the Asian Tour.

“Everything has been working this week. I’m happy with my swing and I’m really enjoying playing golf right now,” said Murakami, who broke into Asian Tour limelight when he won the 2007 Iskandar Johor Open, also in Malaysia.

After a two-year absence, the Phl Open is back on the Asian Tour calendar with the world’s leading port operator ICTSI (International Container Terminal Services, Inc.) presenting the event. The other chief backers of the tournament, held under the auspices of the National Golf Association, are San Miguel Corp., Globe Telecom, Lexus, HSBC, Splash Corporation and Ayala Land Premier with Srixon, Ricoh, BlackBerry, Inetol, Motorola, Label 5 and Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria as supporters.

The event, also Asia’s oldest championship, is also making its return to its home at Wack Wack’s east course, refurbished to provide a different kind of challenge to this year’s field. Wack Wack last hosted the Open from 2006 to 2008.

“We have worked hard to prepare the course for the Open. More bunkers have been added and there are additional black tees,” said Wack Wack president Philip Ella Juico. “The speed of the surface also varies from one hole to another, therefore the ball will more difficult to handle and control.”

NGAP president Leandro Mendoza said the Filipinos have the slight advantage over the foreign bets due to their local knowledge of the par-72 layout, pointing to the likes of Angelo Que, Juvic Pagunsan, Jay Bayron, Tabuena and Murakami as the country’s chief title contenders.

“But it’s still anybody’s game because the field does not only include the best in the region but also the other top international players from Australia, New Zealand and Europe,” said Mendoza.

The Thais, for one, will be out to score a breakthrough behind Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Chinnarat Phadungsil, Udorn Duangdecha, Pariya Junhasavasdikul, Thaworn Wiratchant, Chapchai Nirat, Namchok Tantipokhakul, Kwanchai Tannin, veteran Prayad Marksaeng and Chawalit Plaphol, who led in the first round in 2008 but lost steam and struggled to finish joint 17th.

Others in the fold are Asian Tour leg winners Peter Karmis of South Africa, Siddikur of Bangladesh, Taiwan’s Chan Yih-shin and Darren Beck of Australia while Manila-based Canadian Rick Gibson and Taiwanese Yeh Chang-ting and Wang Ter-chang will join the seven other former Phl Open winners in the four-day

championship.