LLOYD Jefferson “LJ” Go will have his sister, Lois, as his caddie starting Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, when he opens his bid to become the first Cebuano since Rudy Lavares in 1984 to win the Philippine Open Golf Championship.
This is a welcome development for Go, as his sister, also a professional golfer, is returning after competing abroad. Lois Kaye “LK” Go brings some course knowledge to her brother LJ, who will be playing his first career tournament at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Masters Course in Manila Southwoods in Carmona, Cavite.
“Last week was my first time playing that course in Southwoods,” remarked Go, musing about his unfamiliarity with the course.
His sister Lois, on the other hand, has competed and played the Masters Course many times in the past. Her most recent competition there was the 2023 Queen Sirikit Cup, where she represented the country along with Rianne Malixi, who will also be playing in this Philippine Open as the lone female entry in the field.
LK’s golfing resume is quite impressive too, boasting multiple medals, including golds in the Asian and SEA Games, and an individual title in the Philippine Amateur Stroke Play Championship - all of which were sandwiched between a storied college golf career at the University of South Carolina. But she won’t be playing her brother’s shots. Instead, she’ll be providing her looping expertise where she carried her brother’s bag in several of his tournaments last season.
2024 was a breakout year for LJ Go, where he climbed 579 spots in the Official World Golf Rankings after racking up 2 wins and 13 top tens across 8 different tours. His sister Lois was on his bag in some of those starts, including his runner-up finish in the European Challenge Tour’s Hainan Open, where he earned his second biggest paycheck of the year. Go is making his 2025 season debut in this Philippine Open as the second highest ranked Filipino in the field.
Rankings is one thing, but putting it to results is another. “They made two par-5’s into par-4’s. Those two holes are going to play long and tough, and I’ll need to take extra care on those holes to contend,” said Go after his first practice rounds on the Masters Course last week. “Based on the conditions I played today, my guess would be around a 13-under par winning score,” he added.
His fellow pro golfers disagreed and opined that 20-under can be the winning score. Regardless of which prediction is correct, Go will be hoping that his sibling synergy with Lois can propel them to achieving their best result when all is said and done come Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025.
