PH Am match play under way; Park faces De Claro
CANLUBANG, Laguna—Korean expatriate Park Ming-ung, the classification-round winner, battles JP de Claro at the start today of the NGAP Philippine Match Play championship presented by the MVP Sports Foundation at Canlubang’s North course.
Three days after completing a final-round rally to beat compatriot Jung Tea-yang and Filipino Rupert Zaragosa, Park starts his quest for a second straight victory in the event that forms part of the PLDT Amateur Golf Tour.
Yang drew No. 15 Don Petil of Aguinaldo as his opening-round foe, while Zaragosa, who finished third, will be pitted against Lion City Cup member Raymart Tolentino in matches that are expected to be close.
The organizing National Golf Association of the Philippines used the 14th Canlubang-Petron Amateurs lastweek as its qualifier for thematch play stages.
Gen Nagai, the Cebu Country Club mainstay in the PAL Interclub, clashes with Orchard’s Justin Quiban while John Kier Abdon, a former champion of the event, slugs it out with lefty Andres Saldana in one of the featured matches of the day.
The event is also being backed by Pancake House, Golf Depot and Pacsports.
Zaragosa, the reigning men’s and boy’s national stroke play champ, finished badly on Friday, blowing a three-stroke lead entering the last round of the Canlubang Open.
Kristopher Arevalo, who won the 15-16 division of the Callaway Junior Worlds last month in San Diego, also gets going against junior standout Basti Lorenzo.