Pagunsan, Que banner Phl World Cup bid

MANILA, Philippines - Angelo Que and Juvic Pagunsan gear up for what could be their toughest challenge yet as a pair – slugging it out with some of the world’s best in the World Cup of Golf set Nov. 21-24 at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia.

The Filipino duo will be among the 13 Asian Tour stars vying in the $8 million tournament which also features the likes of world No. 11 Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, 2011 winner American Matt Kuchar (with Gary Woodland), Italian Matteo Manassero, Korean KJ Choi and Thai aces Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Pagunsan, the 2011 Asian Tour No. 1, and Que made it to the elite 60-player list by finishing at No. 259 and 278, respectively, in the world ranking.

Que, a three-time Asian Tour winner and No. 4 in the current Order of Merit ranking of the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour, finished joint 22nd in the European Masters in Switzerland and ended up third in the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Taiwan both this month to earn precious Official World Golf Ranking points. He rallied to salvage 55th in the final Asian Tour rankings, well within the top 60 qualifying mark.

“We are delighted that 13 players from Asia have qualified for the World Cup of Golf, which is another strong sign of progress made by our players. Asia will contribute the second highest total number of players in the World Cup after Europe and we have every confidence that our players will compete well,” said Asian Tour chair Kyi Hla Han.

The World Cup, which will be played under a new format this year, will feature an individual competition offering prize money of $7 million while the team event offers $1 million in prize money.

The last time Asia won the World Cup was in 2002 through the Japanese team of Shigeki Maruyama and Toshi Izawa.