The country’s best young talents clash with foreign rivals and club players in the much-awaited revival of the Philippine Amateur Open Golf Championship (Match Play) starting Tuesday, June 18, at the north course of the Canlubang Golf and Country Club in Laguna.

Revived after a five-year hiatus by the National Golf Association of the Philippines, the tourney that features a stroke playing qualifying phase and match play for the event proper has drawn 60 entries for the men’s competition and 19 for the women’s side.

Heading the field in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) event which serves part of the PLDT Group National Amateur Golf Tour sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation, Go Tyme Bank and Canlubang Golf and Country Club are former national players Paolo Wong, Jacob Rolida, Luis Castro and Jolo Magcalayo.

They are joined by junior aces like Bobe Salahog, Shinichi Suzuki, Zach Castro, Patrick Tambalque, TJ Padilla, David Charles Serdenia Edison Tabalin, Vito Sarines and Zeus Sara and  grizzled club players including Gary Sales, Jet Mathay, Masa Otake, Chrisjohn Remata and the pro-bound Jeff Lumbo.

The women’s cast is led by Jiwon Lee, the talented Korean lass who is bidding to continue and unbeaten run, the last one coming in the Ladies Professional Golf Tour at Lakewood in Cabanatuan.

The men’s field will vie for the 16 slots while the women’s entries aim for the 8 slots for the match play tournament proper  via a 36-hole stroke play qualifying round set Tuesday and Monday.  The winning semifinalists on Friday will class for the title over 36 holes on Saturday.  

The last Philippine Amateur Open (Match Play) was held in April 2019 at Luisita Golf and Country Club with Rianne Malixi and Kim Tae Soo emerging as winners.