Pradera Verde will go to Davao next month armed to the teeth as it seeks to win the Philippine Airlines Ladies Interclub for the second straight year and keep traditional power Manila Southwoods grounded.
The Lubao, Pampanga-based squad will continue to lean on the talented Yuka Saso, and after losing Harmie Constantino and Tomita Arejola, has tapped three crack Malaysian age-groupers to complete its crew for the showcase that starts Sept. 19 at Rancho Palos Verdes.
Manila Southwoods, on the other hand, will be waiting for the proverbial final hour before unveiling its lineup, with skipper Claire Ong trying to find the formula to regain glory lost at the Country Club in Cebu last year.
“We are actually just about to fix our lineup,” Ong said as the squad will wait until Aug. 30, the tournament deadline, to submit its roster.
Saso is in Jakarta, Indonesia and will be leading a formidable Philippine squad in the golf competition of the 18th Asian Games. She left the country without knowledge of who some of her teammates will be but expressed confidence on their title defense.
“The long hitters will have an advantage there,” Saso said. “But, you can never be too sure. All the good players will be there and we always have to be at our best.”
Zulaikah Nusiana Nasser, Charlayne Chong and Vinisha Gunaseelan, a trio of 16-year-olds from Malaysia, will be joining Saso and holdovers Annika Cayabyab and Nicole Abelar and Rhianne Malixi and Luna Shin at Pradera.
Southwoods will most likely tap the seasoned Sofia Chabon, with Cebu, the third force in the Championship Division, likely to have LK Go as spearhead. Go is also in Jakarta with Saso and US NCAA standout Bianca Pagdanganan for the Philippines.