Former champion Tahanan Village heads the field that includes Hillsborough, La Vista, Loyola Grand Villas, St. Ignatius, Xavierville, Alabang Hills, Dasmariñas and Kapitolyo, each hoping to come out strong in an attempt to build the momentum for their respective bids for the top four berths in the grand finals.

Familiarity with the par-72 layout in Silang, Cavite will be of utmost importance with those teams in the south sector expected to shine in the first 18-holes of the 36-hole event sponsored by giant telecommunications firm Nokia.

That’s where Ayala Alabang cashed in when it topped the first round of the Nokia 1 group last week as its members, led by Dante Buerano, Reynaldo Valdez and Mark Ledesma, took advantage of their local knowledge of the course to steer the team to victory.

The top four teams in each of the three Nokia groups after the 36-hole qualifiers will advance to the grand finals of the annual event backed by Pan West, GNC, 357 Boracay, BJ Marthel, Pisanti and Citibank.

The new format, where teams are grouped with those from the other sectoral groups, also makes the tournament interesting and unpredictable with no one holding a distinct advantage over the other.

Meanwhile, the Nokia 3 group will start its own elims on June 20 at Forest Hills in Antipolo, featuring teams from BF Resort, Merville, Blue Ridge, Cinco Hermano/Monte Vista, Greenhills, New Manila, San Lorenzo, South Bay Garden and Valle Verde 3/5.