By Adrian Flores

STA. Rosa City, Laguna?The wind always blows here, but it is predictable. Well, it just would not be The Country Club Invitational without flags flapping and players fast-changing clubs on each hole, and with that perfect shot getting whiffed around and way off the target.

That could very well be in the minds of the professional golfers as they gear up for a windy week at The Country Club, where they?ll compete in the annual event established by the International Container Terminal Services Inc. headed by chairman and chief executive Enrique Razon.

?It is a tradition. Just when you think it is safe to hit it high, the next thing you?ll see is the ball getting whipped hard and over the green. No one is safe,? said Tony Lascuna, one of those tipped to dethrone defending champion Juvic Pagunsan.

It is a stern warning from an Asian Tour veteran but that?s just the way it is in the Invitational. Many times in the past, the lead changes hands on a daily basis. And whoever can hold fort for in three of the four playing days, normally, takes the title.

?It will be a true test of focus and patience,? said Lascuna, who earned $106,500 (roughly P5 million) from 24 regular tournaments in the 2008 Asian Tour season.

Another tour veteran Robert Pactolerin is hoping that Mother Nature would spare him and the rest of the field vying for the first prize purse of P1.35 million in the 72-hole tournament from a record P4.6-million total pot.