S’woods holds off Del Monte, completes 3-peat

Manila Southwoods, drawing another superb round from Regine de Guzman, put in a
second straight 244 as it repulsed a rallying Del Monte side, 729-726, for a
three-point victory and a three-peat in the WGAP-Luzvimin golf tournament at the
Del Monte Golf Club in Bukidnon, September 5.
De Guzman hardly slowed down from an earlier 59-point burst as she closed out
with 58 Molave points, equivalent to four-under par in stroke play, to power the
Carmona-based squad to the victory, their third straight that underscored the
team’s domination of the annual event among the top golfing ladies from the
country’s leading clubs.
Southwoods, which trailed Del Monte by one point in the first round, totaled 729
in the 54-hole championship with De Guzman also matching her team’s three
straight title romp with her own three-peat feat in the individual competitions.
She had a 168 and beat Aguinaldo’s Matet Salivio, who had a 54 and a 159, by
nine points.
First day leader Geleen Handog of Alabang finished third with a 156 after a 52.
Meanwhile, Josie Untal of Aguinaldo, playing alongside Southwoods' Claire Ong,
Christine Naidoo of Alabang and Del Monte's Pamela Mariano, scored a hole-in-one
on 136-yard No. 3, using a Callaway X14 7-iron and Titleist 3 Pro V1 ball.
Other scorers for Southwoods were Lora Roberto (51), Beachie Abiera (47), Kat
Gonzalez (44) and Claire Ong (44) while Claudine Garcia (41) and Sandy Velhagen
(39) didn’t count in the seven-to-play, five-to-count format event.
Del Monte drew three 50 points from Pamela Mariano, Apple Fudolin and Eva
Minoza, and two 48s from Kristine Leonen and Kaye Tabanas in a solid final round
charge. But the hosts 246 total in the day proved short as they settled for
second with a 726.
Aguinaldo, with Matet Salivio scoring 54 and Untal adding 49 points, took third
place honors with a 713 after a 244 while Alabang came in fourth with 223-685
followed by Wack Wack (176-514), Pueblo de Oro (170-493) and Canlubang
(158-483).
Sta. Elena slowed down with a 192 but still romped off with an 11-point win over
Tagaytay Highlands in Ruby division while Forest Hills completed its
wire-to-wire triumph in the Pearl side of the three-category tournament
organized by Women’s Golf Association of the Phils.
Nancy Ortiga fired 43 points while Therese Dabao and Rio Co chipped in 41 and 37
points, respectively, for Sta. Elena, which also drew 36 and 35 points from Lily
Chan and Angie Co, respectively, for that 192 and a 577.
Tagaytay Highlands scored 201 to finish second with a 566 while Negros
Occidental placed third with a 563 after a 193 followed by Alta Vista (189-538),
Camp John Hay (170-519) and Cebu Country Club (168-505).
Forest Hills dominated Pearl with a 545 aggregate after a 182 for an 11-point
victory over Bacolod, which had a 534 after a 185. Villamor slid to third with a
529 after a 170 followed by Manila Golf (173-478), Mactan Island (155-471) and
Riviera (156-442).(pr)