rlslay, did I miss an episode or did I really see what I saw ? Cebu is supposed to be in the Philippines and, on the first hole, I am staring at the... Sydney Harbor !
Needless to say, it was a big surprise... What is not, however, is the design, as superb as ever, from the 1st tee to the 18th green.
Plantings are gorgeous, the scenery magnificent and some holes are quite challenging, starting with the par-4 2nd with its very narrow fairway and its creek on the right side. The next hole, the par-5 3rd, is quite long (633 yards) and requires two shots over a big lake to reach the green, quite narrow as you approach it.
The par-4 6th hole is gorgeous too, with its serpentine fairway and... beautiful shadows from the trees, quite different from the par-3 7th hole and its, one and only... Sydney Opera house ! As if you did not have enough breathtaking views, the par-5 8th hole, curved to the right, is very picturesque with its elongated bunkers left and its narrow green, just like the par-4 9th, superb with its small peninsula fairway in the middle and the Sydney Harbor bridge as a backdrop.
The back 9 has some outstanding holes too, such as the par-5 12th, where reaching the green, surrounded by high trees and a pond on the right, is quite tough. The par-4 13th hole, facing the Sydney Harbor bridge is quite scenic, just like the long par-4 15th hole, with bunkers in the middle of the fairway and the downhill green facing the harbor.
The par-4 17th hole, with high trees on both sides of the fairway and a big elongated bunker in the middle is somewhat similar to the 15th hole, and the gorgeous par-5 18th, with the fairway hugging the river on the left, is a tough risk/reward hole as you will need to land your shot on the island fairway in the middle, before hitting your approach shot on the island green !
Another gem of a course and a top shelf as usual, slightly "spoiled" for me by water being very grainy between the city skyline and the course layout, despite trying different water options (with TW07). But, don't get me wrong : I love this course even with its surprising panorama (LOL) !

First time I get to be first to comment. Nice not to try & find something different to add to earlier superlatives. Course itself is beautifully done as always Rob, but I had to LOL as soon as I saw the pano. I've been a Sydneysider for many moons now & all this time I thought this was just a National Park reserve in the harbour :)

I did see the name in the library download, but figured it'd be just background hills or our Blue Mountains (which I live near). There are a few bridges around the world which look like our coat-hanger, but only one Opera House looks like this!

Especially loved the 18th, despite losing 2 in the water - it's a real test of accuracy without much space to land on & I found out the hard way that a certain tree had been judiciously placed...