Miñoza vies in British Sr Open

MANILA, Philippines - Frankie Miñoza hopes to bring his scoring act to the Senior British Open, confident of his chances against the world’s top players as action got going Thursday at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, Merseyside.

Miñoza is coming off back-to-back victories on the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour, beating the cream of the pro crop in impressive fashion at Del Monte and Pueblo de Oro with a solid game he hopes to dish out in England.

“The two wins at Del Monte and Pueblo were indeed a big boost to my Senior Open campaign,” said Miñoza after duplicating his five-stroke romp at Del Monte with a runaway victory at Pueblo de Oro. “I’ve been hitting the ball well and my iron game is quite okay although I still have to polish my putting.”

The 53-year-old former two-time Philippine Open champion is set to tee off at 8:40 a.m. (3:40 p.m. Manila time) with a pair of Englishmen in Kevin Spurgeon and John Gould.

The elite field is headed by defending champion Fred Couples along with former titlist Mark O’Meara and current Charles Schwab Cup points leader Kenny Perry, David Frost, Bernhard Langer and Duffy Waldoft.

Couples closed out with consecutive birdies to beat Gary Hallberg by two and claim last year’s crown in Turnburry, Scotland. But the veteran American campaigner faces a tougher challenge from the elite field that includes the world’s leading golfing seniors.

By skipping the ongoing Aboitiz Invitational, where he could have been an instant favorite owing to his form, Miñoza hopes to come up with a strong start at Royal Birkdale and get into early contention.

The Filipino ace, however, will rejoin the local aces and other Asian stars in next week’s ICTSI Classic, another Asian Development Tour event, at Mt. Malarayat in Lipa, Batangas.