MANILA - Filipina golfers will be ready to defend their titles in both the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games, even with their aces already having gone professional.

Bianca Pagdanganan and Yuka Saso will no longer be available for the Philippines in the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam and the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang in China. This, as both of them have turned professional, with Pagdanganan competing in the LPGA and Saso shining in the LPGA of Japan Tour.

Even with them competing in the pro circuit, the Philippines have other golfers who are ready to step up, according to Valeriano "Bones" Floro, the secretary-general of National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP).

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"Sa women, obviously malaking blow 'yung nag-professional si Yuka at si Bianca," Floro said during a recent appearance on the PSC Hour.

"But we have a lot of upcoming players na kahit nung nagandyan pa si Yuka at si Bianca, nagde-develop na tayo, nagpapadala na tayo ng second batch of players para magka-experience sila," he assured.

Saso won the individual women's gold in the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018, and won team gold together with Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go. Pagdanganan then won individual gold in the 2019 SEA Games and linked up with Go for the team gold.

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Floro is confident that the Philippines still has enough talent in the pipeline to make a successful defense of their titles in the SEA Games and even in the Asian Games.

"'Wag kayong magalala, pinaghahandaan talaga natin 'yan. 'Di tayo papatalo," he said.

On the men's side, Floro says most of their members are still amateurs so there is no issue when it comes to them representing the country in the SEA Games and the Asian Games.

The men's team won bronze in the SEA Games last year.