National team mainstay Sean Ramos and Korean Kim Seo Yu face tough challenge in pursuit of back-to-back title drive in the NGAP Northern Luzon Regional Golf Championship unfolding Friday (Oct. 25) at Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac.
Ramos nipped Josh Jorge by one to snare the Elite Am men’s crown at Beverly Place Golf Club in Pampanga last year with the former all set for a repeat against a strong field led by Dan Cruz, winner of the recent Cangolf Amateur Open, Aldo Barro, Joaquin Gomez, Rodolfo Brobio and Jonar Austria.
Ramos is also using the tournament as part of his buildup for the SEA Games, also set at the Luisita layout, where he will team up with Aidric Chan, Carl Corpus and Luis Castro to spearhead the country’s gold medal bid against the crack Thailand squad.
Kim also seeks to make it two-in-row in the 54-hole tournament organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines in cooperation with Luisita Golf and Country Club although the Korean, who nipped Bernice Ilas-Olivarez in sudden death to clinch the title last year, braces for a fierce duel with the likes of Rianne Malixi, Sophia Blanco, Laurea Duque, Kayla Nocum and compatriot Kwon Tae Yon.
Malixi, for one, is shooting for a third championship this year after claiming the overall crown in the Philippine Junior Amateur Open at Sherwood Hills Golf Club. She also won Phl Amateur Open Match Play plum, also at Luisita, both last April.
Meanwhile, August Cruz also goes for a title repeat in the men’s division Group I (Hcp 7-12) of the event sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation, Cignal and Metro Pacific Investments and serving as part of PLDT Group National Amateur Tour while a wide open battle is seen in Group I (Hcp 13-above) among Titus Aguilar, Gary Manotoc, Alex Mendenilla, Alan Pasion and Marc Maceda, among others.
Meanwhile, Sta. Elena and Eastridge gear up for a showdown in the semifinal round of the first NGAP Inter Club Match Play Team Championship with Canlubang and Riviera clashing in the other side of the Final Four set Saturday, also at Luisita.
