Tight races for titles and very valuable qualifying points for the national finals are up for grabs when the ICTSI Del Monte Junior PGT Championship gets off the ground at the tree-lined course in Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon.

The centerpiece boys’ 15-18 division is expected to boil down between homegrown bets and a couple coming from the Visayas, even as Precious Zaragosa banners the girls’ side as she seeks to bounce back from a second-place finish in Mactan a few weeks back.

Del Monte, site of many memorable PAL Interclub tournaments and a formidable test in the professional PGT circuit, will be a demanding test for the field with its bending fairways and small greens.

Winners this week will take them a step closer to the North vs South Elite Junior Finals to be held at The Country Club in Laguna later this year, as Alexis Nailga, who plays out of the host club, shoots for a second straight win after dominating boys’ action in Mactan.

Another Bukidnon bet and last year’s Match Play Finals winner, Clement Ordeneza, and Visayan standouts Nyito and Roman Tiongko of Cebu, and Bacolod’s Santi Asuncion, are all players to watch in the 54-hole tournament.