Pinewoods Challenge tests precision and patience

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BAGUIO — Power may deliver occasional birdies at Pinewoods Golf and Country Club, but precision, patience and disciplined decision-making are expected to decide the ICTSI Pinewoods Challenge when the third Philippine Golf Tour stop tees off Tuesday, June 30.

The PHP 2.5 million men’s championship will be played over four days on a par-72 mountain layout defined by narrow landing areas, sloping fairways, undulating greens, swirling winds and changing weather.

After testing the course during Monday’s pro-am, the Tour’s leading campaigners agreed that Pinewoods offers scoring chances only to players who can balance aggression with restraint.

“One careless swing can easily lead to a bogey or worse because trouble is always waiting. Accuracy will be more important than distance this week,” said Tony Lascuña, who topped the 18-hole pro-am with amateur partners Jaime Pisawan, Amor Paredes and Bensheen Apolinar with a net 58.

Lascuña used the pro-am as a valuable preview of a layout that punishes mistakes and limits the usual advantage of length off the tee.

The challenge goes beyond finding fairways as mountain winds can shift without warning, while thick fog may alter club selection and visibility from one hole, or even one shot, to the next.

Combined with Pinewoods’ rolling terrain and deceptively small greens, every round is expected to test course management as much as shot-making.

Many players used the pro-am to map out yardages and identify ideal landing spots on a course where every shot requires commitment and every decision carries consequences.

The demanding setup is expected to produce a tight four-day battle among the country’s leading professionals, rising stars and seasoned international campaigners.

Joining Lascuña in the title hunt is Angelo Que, who seeks back-to-back victories after edging Lascuña in a thrilling finish at Caliraya Springs last month.

“The layout is tricky and conditions are difficult,” said Que, the reigning Order of Merit champion. “I’m just going to enjoy the week, play my game, and hopefully put together a good result.”

Keanu Jahns and Clyde Mondilla, two of the Tour’s longest hitters, also expect to rely less on power and more on discipline and precision.

While their length off the tee has often been a major advantage, Jahns and Mondilla recognize that Pinewoods rewards players who can stay patient, position the ball well and avoid unnecessary risks.

Other contenders believe the layout demands full commitment on every shot, with sound course management, smart decision-making and adaptability likely to separate the field.

For some players, Pinewoods presents a different kind of examination because it tests mental toughness, patience and consistency as much as power or shot-making ability.

This week’s championship may not be decided by spectacular birdie runs but by the player who best avoids the costly mistakes Pinewoods is built to punish.

On a mountain course where patience is as valuable as power, the champion will likely be the player who combines precision, composure and strategy over four demanding rounds.

In the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, the PHP 1 million ICTSI Pinewoods Challenge also tees off Tuesday, June 30, with Yvon Bisera and Harmie Constantino both aiming to become the season’s first two-time winner.

The women’s field enters the third leg after a dramatic three-way playoff opened the season and a dominant blowout shaped the second stop.

Past form, however, may matter little on an unfamiliar and unforgiving Pinewoods layout that could turn the tournament into a wide-open contest.

Bisera and Constantino headline a compact but stellar field that also includes Princess Superal, Sarah Ababa, Chanelle Avaricio, Mafy Singson, Tiffany Lee and Daniella Uy.

All are seeking either a second title or a breakthrough win early in the 10-stage circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

Bisera outlasted Ababa and Lois Kaye Go in a sudden-death playoff to win the season opener at Lakewood in Cabanatuan City last March.

Bisera later took her sharp form to the China LPGA Tour with Uy, Avaricio and Singson, nearly claiming a second overseas crown before falling one stroke short at the Singapore Ladies Masters recently.

“The course is very challenging, but I think it will be fun because no one has an advantage, so it’s anybody’s game,” said Bisera. “I just need to focus on my short game since distance won’t be much of an advantage here.”

Bisera’s momentum makes her one of the players to beat in Baguio, but Constantino arrives with her own resurgence after a commanding six-shot victory over Singson at Caliraya Springs last month.

Constantino’s Caliraya triumph ended a difficult stretch and signaled her bid to reclaim the form that carried her to four victories and the Order of Merit title in 2024.

She went winless last season, a frustrating downswing that tested both her swing and her confidence.

After recalibrating her game, Constantino placed fourth at Lakewood before ending her title drought at Caliraya.

“It has been a lot different since I changed a lot with how I play and I think mentally,” said Constantino.

Despite the momentum of Bisera and Constantino, Pinewoods is expected to prevent the women’s championship from becoming a two-player race.

The mountain course features dramatic elevation changes, tight fairways and unpredictable greens, making it a venue that punishes brute force and demands pinpoint shot-making.

Superal returns from a competitive stint on the Japan Step Up Tour eager to re-establish her dominance on local soil.

Lee, who won the Lakewood Championship as a junior in 2024 before opening her professional career with a victory at Splendido Taal, is also looking to regain form after several difficult months.

“I’ve heard from a lot of the more experienced players that Pinewoods is one of the toughest courses we play – and I love a good challenge,” said Lee. “It’s the kind of course that really makes you think. You can’t just rely on your swing – you have to be smart, stick to the right strategy and play each hole according to its own character.”

For Superal, firm and fast greens make precision a major factor.

“I think the course is very challenging. The greens are firm and tricky, so it’s important to place the ball well,” said Superal.

Ababa, the reigning Order of Merit champion, is looking to assert herself after a playoff loss and a fourth-place finish in the first two legs.

Singson is also seeking a major rebound after finishing well behind Constantino at Caliraya.

The title chase also includes Uy, Avaricio and Lee, along with veterans and rising stars Marvi Monsalve, Seoyun Kim, Chihiro Ikeda, Martina Miñoza and Pamela Mariano.

A spoiler group composed of Kayla Nocum, Gretchen Villacencio, Kristine Fleetwood, Apple Fudolin, Velinda Castil, Rev Alcantara, Monica Mandario, Angela Mangana, Japanese standout Aina Onishi and lone amateur Jules Gaerlan adds depth to the field.

With no player holding a clear course advantage, the race to become the first Pinewoods champion is expected to remain open from the first drive to the last putt.