The men of the Philippine Golf Tour braces for what promises to be a duel of iron play as they tackle a short but challenging, unfamiliar course in the rich ICTSI Club Filipino De Cebu Invitational beginning tomorrow (Wednesday, Aug. 29) in Danao City, Cebu.

The par-71 Club Filipino De Cebu layout has been spruced up to championship condition in time for its first-ever hosting of a Philippine Golf Tour event, a P3.5 million championship that drew the cream of the local crop and a slew of foreign aces.

But the water-laced 6692-yard course carved out from steep hills hopes to bring out the best – and the worst – from the elite field with its narrow fairways and sleek putting surface with the wind also expected to come into play in all four days.

That should premium on accuracy and course management on a layout that also features dogleg holes although some are tipped to take the risk and use their drivers in a bid to come up with a strong start for the needed momentum and confidence.

In-form Jobim Carlos and fellow PGT and PGT Asia leg winners Korean Kim Joo Hyung, Jay Bayron and Justin Quiban along with reigning Philippine Masters champion Jerson Balasabas and veterans Tony Lascuña and Elmer Salvador head the select pros testing the up-and-down layout one last time in today’s (Tuesday) pro-am tournament with guests and officials of the event’s chief backers, including ICTSI, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Champion, Summit Mineral Water, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc.

While Carlos looms as the player to beat with his three victories and a string of top five finishes in the last 10 tournaments, a horde of others are also all primed up for the event, all aiming for the top P650,000 purse in the final stop of the four-leg Visayan swing of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

They include PGTA Forest Hills leg winner Jhonnel Ababa, Zanieboy Gialon, Ferdie Aunzo, Charles Hong, Keanu Jahns, Rene Menor, Clyde Mondilla, Mars Pucay, Joenard Rates, Nilo Salahog, Orlan Sumcad and Dino Villanueva.

Aussie Tim Stewart, who lost by two to Carlos in last week’s ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge, is also back in the hunt for a breakthrough victory, along with Americans Lexus Keoninh and Andy Kang, Dutch Guido Van der Valk, Korean Park Jun Sung, Spain’s Salvador Paya Vila, siblings Qawim and Qazzri Aslimon of Brunei, and Peter Stojanovski of Macedonia.