Champions galore at ICTSI Philippine Open
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A stellar cast of champions will grace the 95th edition of the ICTSI Philippine Open next week with Bangladeshi Siddikur and Sweden's Rikard Karlberg, the 2010 Asian Tour Rookie of the Year, spearheading the stars.
No fewer than 25 winners of the Asian Tour and four from the top-10 of the current Order of Merit will lock horns at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club from May 12-15 as Asia's oldest national Open makes a return to the region's elite circuit after a two-year lapse.
Local hero Artemio Murakami will be defending his title.
Karlberg, a Qualifying School graduate, was one of last season's revelations when he won twice in India en route to finishing third on the Order of Merit with winnings of US$594,847.
Other top names heading to the US$300,000 championship include Thai stars Udorn Duengdecha, Pariya Junhasavasdikul, Chapchai Nirat and Chinnarat Phadungsil, South Africa's Peter Karmis, Australia's Darren Beck and Malaysia's Ben Leong and Danny Chia.
Siddikur, currently second on the Order of Merit, is widely tipped to shine as his straight-shooting game is well suited for the tree-lined and ultra demanding Wack Wack course.
The slightly built 26-year-old enjoyed a memorable campaign in 2010 when he became the first Bangladeshi to triumph on the Asian Tour when he won the Brunei Open.
He also finished in the top-10 on four other occasions and has carried his sizzling form into the 2011 season with two top-three finishes and another eighth place in the first four months of the Asian Tour season. He also won the Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters, the season-opening event on the Asian Development Tour in January.
The colourful Udorn, who stands out from the pack as he regularly dons psychedelic pants, Pariya and Karmis were amongst the first-time winners as the wealth of talent showed up on the Asian Tour last season.
Udorn masterfully triumphed on home soil at the King's Cup while Pariya took home the Mercuries Taiwan Masters title after edging Siddikur in a play-off. Karmis also joined the exclusive winner's club with an emphatic wire-to-wire victory at the Handa Singapore Classic.
Other top names heading full speed to the ICTSI Philippine Open include in-form South African Jbe Kruger and Indian newcomer Sujjan Singh.
Kruger was last year's hard-luck story as his quest for a first Asian Tour win was thwarted on three occasions when he finished second. The South African will arrive in Manila in good form after a confidence-boosting seventh place outing at last week's star-studded Ballantine's Championship in Korea which has pushed him up to sixth place on the current Order of Merit.
Qualifying School graduate Singh has made an immediate impact when he came in fifth at the season-opening Avantha Masters in India, earning enough money to already secure his full Tour card for 2012. With the pressure off his shoulders, the 30-year-old, who is an accomplished drummer, is expected to launch a title charge at the ICTSI Philippine Open.
The International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), which is in the business of acquiring, developing and operating container ports and terminals worldwide, is title sponsoring the Philippine Open.
The co-sponsors of the ICTSI Philippine Open include San Miguel Corporation (Official Beer), Globe Telecom (Official Telecommunications Provider), Lexus (Official Car), HSBC (Official Banking Partner), Splash Corporation (Official Personal Care Sponsor) and Ayala Land Premier (Official Property Developer) while Srixon (Official Golf Ball), Ricoh (Office Solutions Partner), BlackBerry (Official Mobile Partner), Inetol (Official Headwear Supplier), Motorola (Official Radio Supplier), Label 5 (Official Whisky Supplier) and Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria (Official Hotel) will support the event as official suppliers.
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