With most in the 30-man field in the P6 million The Country Club getting more than a warm-up last week, Aidric Chan and Sean Ramos are suddenly looking as the favorites in the kickoff leg of the Philippine Golf Tour if they can take the momentum of an impressive finish in an Asian Tour event further south to Laguna starting Tuesday.

Chan finished in an eighth place tie in the Smart Infinity Philippine Open at Manila Southwoods on Sunday after shooting a final round four-under-par 66 at the Masters. He tallied 274, just five shots off winner Julien Sale of France to be the second-best Filipino in the crack field behind Miguel Tabuena.

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That performance speaks volumes of how he can potentially handle TCC as he shoots for the biggest prize of his young career.

Ramos, meanwhile, wound up two strokes behind Chan after a notable week, as he ground out a final day 69 at the Masters to finish in the top 24, even as most eyes will be on Angelo Que and Antonio Lascuña this week as the durable stars shoot for records.

Que will be trying to become the first man to win this event four times, while Lascuña will be trying to repeat and join Que as a three-time winner.

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But Lascuña, who won his first title in 2004, knows how tough it will be, especially with a lot of long hitters in the field.

“I have a distinct disadvantage—and that is I am not getting any younger,” the 54-year-old, who won a fifth PGT Order of Merit title last year, said in Filipino. “It will be a very difficult challenge. I will have to hit it very well each time and I will need some luck along the way.”

Lascuña defeated Tabuena in a big upset last year. Tabuena has begged off to see action in the International Series in India this week. INQ