Go a marked man heading into Pradera Verde

Llyod Go seeks back-to-back wins. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Lloyd Go heads to the ICTSI Pradera Verde Championship riding the confidence of a dominant victory just last week, but the ace from Cebu knows an even bigger prize is at stake other than another trophy.

Fresh from a commanding triumph at the Pinewoods Challenge in Baguio, the 31-year-old Go is determined to build on his recent form to strengthen his position in the Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit, regain his place in the top 30 and keep his card for next season so he can resume his overseas campaign for the rest of the year.

That mission continues Tuesday when the fourth leg of this year’s PGT circuit unfolds at Pradera Verde in Lubao, Pampanga, where Go is labeled as one of the players to beat owing to that swashbuckling Baguio triumph, a 12-stroke win over Jeff Lumbo.

The actual target

But beyond bagging the crown and the P441,500 champion’s purse earned in the chilly summer capital, Go said the victory came at a crucial stage of his season.

“I need to play well at Pinewoods and Pradera Verde so I can keep my card,” said the former national team standout, who remains driven by the disappointment of missing last year’s The Country Club Invitational, the PGT’s rich flagship tournament that invites only the elite in the circuit.

“Last year I wasn’t able to play at TCC because I wasn’t in the top 30, and that hurt me,” he said. “So my goal is to get back (into the top 30).”

With renewed confidence following his Pinewoods win, Go hopes another strong finish against the same field he conquered in Baguio—or even a second straight title—will be enough for a top-30 finish by the end of the season.

Lumbo, Angelo Que, Antonio Lascuña, Clyde Mondilla and all the other big guns who were left eating Go’s dust in Baguio will be in Pampanga, where a totally different challenge awaits the field.