Unlike in the men’s battle, where a few clear favorites loom large, the title chase in the women’s side of the ICTSI The Country Club Match Play Championship shapes up to be a wide-open battle among the tour’s brightest stars – particularly the leg winners from the just-concluded Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
The season-ending championship, which assembles the top 16 performers from the year-long circuit, unwraps Tuesday, Nov. 25, at the demanding The Country Club layout. With its shifting winds, punishing length and constantly changing character from hole to hole, every swing and decision will matter.
Leading the elite field is Order of Merit winner Sarah Ababa, followed by defending champion Florence Bisera, Chanelle Avaricio, Mafy Singson, Tiffany Lee, Harmie Constantino, Chihiro Ikeda, Martina Miñoza, Gretchen Villacencio, Daniella Uy, Pamela Mariano, Kristine Fleetwood, Apple Fudolin, Seoyun Kim, Velinda Castil and Kayla Nocum.
Princess Superal, winner at Caliraya Springs, is skipping the Match Play to compete in the Japan Q-School also scheduled this week.
With her withdrawal, Nocum – who finished No. 17 in the Order of Merit – steps in and will face Ababa in the opening round of the knockout duels.
Other first-day pairings pit standout against hopeful, power against promise – Bisera vs Castil; Avaricio vs Kim; Singson vs Fudolin; Lee vs Fleetwood; Constantino vs Mariano; Ikeda vs Uy, and Minoza vs Villacencio.
While match play is noted for its unpredictability, the “big guns” are widely expected to impose their class early and advance deep into the knockout phases of the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. Their power, experience and track record in pressure situations provide a built-in advantage – especially at a venue as daunting as TCC.
Ababa, for one, enters the championship brimming with confidence. She skipped the LPGT contingent’s Taiwan campaign to fine-tune her game, polishing her short irons and sharpening her feel around the greens.
With two leg victories and several top-five finishes this season, she has emerged as the most consistent threat. Her blend of touch, power and course management could prove decisive on a layout that rewards precision as much as distance.
That same edge is expected from Bisera, Avaricio and Singson – players whose length off the tee and scoring capability could overwhelm those with less firepower. On a course that can be intimidating even to seasoned pros, their ability to attack par-4s and reach par-5s in fewer shots could spell the difference in early rounds.
Even so, the lower-seeded challengers are far from resigned to the role of spoilers. Each has been mapping out strategies and quietly sharpening their games, aware that one brilliant stretch of play – or one crucial swing – can topple a favorite in the unforgiving match-play format. Upsets are always possible, and the early rounds could turn chaotic if any of the top seeds falter.
Bisera, the defending champion, knows that better than anyone. She edged the absent Mikha Fortuna, 2&1, to win last year’s crown, then added a Negros Occidental leg victory and a breakthrough triumph in Thailand last September. Although she wavered in the opening legs of the Mindanao swing, she rediscovered form at South Pacific – pushing Ababa to the limit before settling for second by a single shot.
With the knockout stage set and the spotlight firmly on the tour’s marquee names, the stage is primed for a compelling clash between established contenders and ambitious challengers – all chasing the coveted championship.
