NEGROS OCCIDENTAL – With a talent-laden field raring to go, the ICTSI Negros Occidental Golf Challenge unfolds here Tuesday, Sept. 9, promising a fiercely contested battle from the get-go as the country’s finest women pros jostle for early momentum in the P1 million championship.

But stepping onto the fairways of the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club – more popularly known as Marapara – will be no easy task. The course’s winding fairways, tight landing spots and ever-changing wind patterns are expected to play a pivotal role in what shapes up to be a tournament too close to call.

On this demanding par-70 layout, success won’t just come down to length off the tee or accuracy on the greens. Strategic precision, mental toughness, course management – and even a touch of luck – may ultimately decide who lifts the trophy after three grinding rounds.

With a field stacked with champions, rising stars and consistent contenders, the outcome could very well turn on a single hole – or even a single shot.

Pauline del Rosario, fresh off a confidence-boosting win in Bacolod last Thursday, enters the tournament as the marked player. Her dramatic final-round 66 at Binitin to edge out Seo Yun Kim by one stroke underscored her readiness to contend. But repeating the feat in this deeper, more competitive field will be a formidable task.

Del Rosario knows it. And so does everyone else.

As the sixth leg of this year’s Ladies Philippine Golf Tour gets underway, every stroke carries weight, and every decision could tilt the balance. Among those eager to challenge her are Princess Superal and Chanelle Avaricio, both accomplished, tour-hardened players out to reassert their place at the top.

Superal returns in fighting form after winning in sudden death over Sarah Ababa at Caliraya Springs last month. She is keen to build on her comeback and add another title to her growing résumé.

Avaricio, meanwhile, enters rested, focused and brimming with confidence. Her six-shot romp at Forest Hills in June was a statement win, but it’s her unforgettable eight-shot rally here in 2023 – where she nipped Ababa by one – that looms large as she returns to the very course where she pulled off that stunning feat.

Kim is also back for redemption. After dominating the first two rounds in Bacolod, she saw a potential breakthrough win slip away with a final-round 73. Now more experienced and even more determined, the 21-year-old seeks to turn lessons into victory.

Defending champion Harmie Constantino also poses as a legitimate threat. Despite a quiet 2024 campaign following her four-title blitz last year, she returns to a course where she won in weather-shortened fashion and knows how to navigate its traps. A strong performance here could well reignite her season.

The rest of the field is just as capable of pulling off a surprise.

Ababa is always lurking near the top, while Daniella Uy, back from Taiwan Tour duties, showed flashes of brilliance with a third-place finish at Binitin and is eager to capitalize. Veterans Chihiro Ikeda, Florence Bisera, Mafy Singson, Tiffany Lee and Lois Kaye Go also bring tour-tested games with winning potential.

Others out to grab the spotlight are Kristine Fleetwood, Kayla Nocum, Pamela Mariano, Gretchen Villacencio, Apple Fudolin, Velinda Castil, Annika Cedo, Martina Miñoza and Korean Eunhua Nam. All are capable of making a deep run with the right rhythm and solid putting.

With such a balanced and unpredictable field, the story of the tournament is not about if there will be surprises – but who will deliver them.