The 150-player strong ICTSI-Philippine Open field braces for a “tough” challenge   at the newly refurbished Wack Wack’s East with its tricky, tight layout made   more daunting by its longer yardage and undulating putting surface.

“Wack Wack East has changed a lot especially the fairways and the greens. It’s   tough to play but I’m looking forward to playing well as winning the ICTSI   Philippine Open is a big part of my goal,” said Juvic Pagunsan, a multi-titled   player chasing his first Phl Open crown.

Pagunsan, the former Asian Tour top rookie, will be among the 33 Filipinos   battling it out with 110 foreign players for top honors in the $300,000 event,   which is making its return to the Asian Tour fold after a two-year hiatus,   unfolding Thursday.

“It’s going to be really tough. The course was already tricky before the   upgrading works but now, they’ve made it a lot longer and it will play extra   tough at the ICTSI Philippine Open,” said Artemio Murakami.

The field gets to test the layout for the last time in today’s (Wednesday)   traditional pro-am tournament which features the leading pros and officials and   guests of the event’s chief backers, led by presentor International Container   Terminal Services, Inc.

Angelo Que, who beat Malaysian ace Danny Chia in the last Open at Wack Wack in   2008, said the course demands local knowledge and precision. “But I expect high   scores especially if the wind comes into play,” he said.

Wack Wack president Philip Ella Juico said the par-72 layout, long considered as   the home of the Phl Open which last hosted the premier event in 2008, now   measures up to 7,222 yards, making it a lot longer and tougher for the field   which features 25 winners of the Asian Tour.