DAVAO—With a young roster, the Manila Southwoods-Masters squad looks to reclaim the Philippine Airlines Ladies Interclub championship next week against a Pradera Verde crew built around the talented Yuka Saso.

With seasoned internationalist Sofia Chabon and the returning Sunshine Baraquiel, the Carmona-based club hopes to bounce back from a thorough beating suffered at the hands of Pradera last year in Cebu where its five-year reign was snapped.

The Aboitiz Invitational, one of the premier championships on the Philippine Golf Tour Asia calendar, braces for its grand eighth staging next month with one of the strongest casts being assembled for the $100,000 event on Sept. 5-8 at the Orchard Golf and Country Club’s Palmer Course in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Philadelphia—Britain’s Justin Rose could claim the world number one ranking after firing a six-under par 64 Saturday to seize a one-stroke lead entering the final round of the PGA BMW Championship.

The 38-year-old Englishman nabbed six birdies over the opening nine holes and parred through the inward nine to stand on 17-under par 193 after 54 holes at rainy Aronimink Golf Club. 

Bacolod—Guido Van der Valk sizzled early with long birdies then hit another at the finish to card a four-under 66 and grab a two-stroke lead as Elmer Salvador tumbled on a triple-bogey finish halfway through the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

Salvador, sustaining his form following a victory in the pro-am Tuesday, rattled off four straight birdies from No. 5 that capped a scorching six-birdie binge from No. 2 on his homeward trip, shoving the veteran Davaoeño shotmaker past Van der Valk with an eight-under overall card. 

Manila Southwoods, denied a seventh straight title last year in Cebu City, has assembled a youth-laden squad to challenge defending champion Pradera Verde in the 13th Philippine Airlines Ladies Interclub golf team championships on Sept. 18-22 at Rancho Palos Verdes in Davao City.

Bacolod—Tim Stewart of Australia marked his return to the Philippine Golf Tour in smashing fashion, shooting a four-under 66 then pouncing on fellow big-hitting Keanu Jahns’ late-hole miscues to wrest a one-stroke lead at the start of the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge at the par-70 Iloilo Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

Norton, United States—Tiger Woods says the secret to recapturing the dominating form that made him a 14-time major champion in an era of younger rivals is to keep putting himself in contention.

The 42-year-old American tees off in Friday’s opening round of the US PGA Dell Technologies Championship, the second event of the tour’s season-ending playoffs, seeking his first victory in more than five years. 

Iloilo—Jobim Carlos draws Jay Bayron in an early duel of the fancied bets while young Korean Kim Joo Hyung slugs it out with a fired-up tandem of Tony Lascuña and Clyde Mondilla kicking off the rich ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club in Sta. Barbara here today.

Though the par-70, 6053-yard layout appears to be short by the men of the tour’s standards, it remains one challenging course ready to bring out the best or worst from the field, ensuring another tight start and a tighter finish in their battle for top honors in the 72-hole championship put up by ICTSI.