There will be no foreign entries this time but expect a wild and interesting shootout among the past and present stars as they vie for supremacy in the 93rd Philippine Open which starts Wednesday at the Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa City.

Defending champion Angelo Que is no doubt one of the hottest stars of the Asian Tour but he can’t be too sure this time of winning Asia’s first major championship as a slew of challengers are out to win the event in time for the holidays.

A Que-Juvic Pagunsan shootout is what avid golf fans would want to see in the fight for the handsome top purse of P410,000. Pagunsan is being groomed as the next Frankie Miñoza – easily the most successful Filipino golfer the past two decades.

There’s great chance that the two will end up in the championship flight because both are in-form.

Pagunsan is coming off an impressive win in the Canlubang leg of the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour last week where he beat Que and Elmer Salvador.

He is also the top Filipino finisher in the Asian Tour Order of Merit at No. 16 on the strength of several impressive top 10 finishes.

The bragging right as to who is rightful heir to Miñoza is expected to give the Que and Pagunsan the extra motivation to win the event.

Aside from Que and Pagunsan, there are others players capable of winning the event.

Asian Tour veterans Artemio Murakami, Mars Pucay and Tony Lascuna have also solid credentials going into today’s opening round.

But they must not take Miñoza for granted.

The veteran golfer from Bukidnod remains a force to reckon with in the event he won twice – the last one in 2007. He did the trick first in 1998.

A win by Minoza will enable him to tie the legendary Ben Arda and Taiwanese Lu Liang-Huan, who won in 1965, 1974 and 1978 Arda, who triumphed in 1961, 1963, and 1979.

Que won the title last year when the event – still sanctioned by the Asian Tour – was held at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.

Other top challengers are former champions Felix “Cassius” Casas, Robert Pactolerin, and Mario Manubay.

Around 100 professional and 20 amateurs are slated to compete in the four-day affair organized by the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP).