Elite cast braces for survival at TCC

The Country Club gears up for three days of top-notch shotmaking from a world-class TCC Ladies Invitational field but it could also turn into a torture chamber for the competing cast for its length and wind factor that put premium on precision and mental toughness.

“The wind had been unpredictable the past few days and we’re expecting it to whip up during the TCC Ladies week,” said TCC general manager Colo Ventosa, who also heads the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

The event, featuring world No. 2 Sung Hyun Park of Korea, the leading campaigners on the LPGA of Taiwan (TLPGA) and the cream of the local pro crop, unwraps Wednesday and there is no better course to hold the richest, biggest event on the seven-year Ladies Philippine Golf Tour than the Tom Weiskoph layout, which boasts of one of the toughest finishing holes in the region – the 365-yard dogleg No. 18 with a big pond on the right and menacing bunkers guarding the green.

It could actually play longer than its 6461 yardage in the presence of the wind and with the increase in yardage comes a significant change in individual hole strategies to take better advantage of the wind as well as the old and new bunkers, lakes and streams.

It could also boil down to bucking the subtle terrors lurking on its sleek putting surface that all but guarantees a wild finish from among the would-be contenders.

A select pro cast from the huge 126-player field, including 10 local amateurs, will test the layout one last time in tomorrow’s pro-am tournament where they would be paired with guests and officials of the event’s chief backers, including ICTSI.

Bannering the locals’ campaign in the 54-hole championship are Dottie Ardina, Princess Superal, Pauline del Rosario, Cyna Rodriguez and Chihiro Ikeda while Babe Liu, Hsin Lee, TzuChi Lin, Ching Huang and Chia Pei Lee headline the TLPGA cast along with former LPGT winners from Thailand, led by multititled Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, Ploychompoo Wilairungrueng, Saruttaya Ngam-usawan, Renuka Suksukont and Wannasiri Sirisampant.