LOCAL pros get busy after a long tourless spell as they clash for top honors in the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour, a 10-leg monthly circuit spread over the country?s championship courses beginning today at the Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa City, Batangas.

The event marks the revival of the local circuit, which boomed in the ?90s with the Philip Morris Golf Tour and the Omni Tour and last staged in 2002 with the First Gentleman Foundation Golf Circuit.

International Container Terminal Services Inc., the world leader in port management and which helped boost the junior and amateur golf when it put up a team after the 2005 Manila Southeast Asian Games, took up the cudgels for the pros late last year and staged a three-leg tour as a prelude to this year?s circuit.

The top players in the Order of Merit ranking after that three-leg circuit last year and the recently concluded The Country Club Invitational get to see action in the P1-million event at Mt. Malarayat dubbed as the ICTSI Classic.

Robert Pactolerin and Marvin Dumandan, leg winners at Sherwood and Davao, respectively, last year, along with Cassius Casas, Elmer Salvador, Rey Pagunsan, Richard Sinfuego, Benjie Magada and Mars Pucay head the cast in the 54-hole championship which is expected to raise the level of play of the local pros after a long layoff from competitive golf.

Action will then shift to Tagaytay for the ICTSI Splendido leg on March 25-27 with the Eagle Ridge in Cavite hosting the third leg?the ICTSI Eagle Ridge?on April 22-24.