Champion Infinity backs Phl Ladies Open

Champion Infinity has thrown its full support to future champions of local amateur golf as it sponsors the Philippine Ladies Open firing off Wednesday (Jan. 11) at Wack Wack’s east course.

The entry of Champion Infinity, a 27-year old product and the No. 1 local brand in Northern Luzon and Visayas, as title sponsor of the 54-hole championship couldn’t come in the most opportune time with the event marking its golden year and drawing a power-packed cast that includes the cream of the country’s crop and a horde of talented foreign players.

It will also be held at one of the country’s toughest courses, making the event a true test of golf.

“We want to be part of this historic event and be associated with the future champion of Philippine ladies golf,” said Simeon Tiu, president of Peerless Products Manufacturing Corp., makers of Champion Detergent Bar and Powder.

The other backers of the event are EEI, Nescafe, RCBC, De Capriccio Jewellers, Tres Palmas, Alabang Ladies Chapter, Canlubang Ladies Chapter, Forest Hills Ladies Chapter, Manila Golf Ladies Chapter, Sta. Elena Ladies Chapter and Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Chapter as hole sponsors.

Dottie Ardina heads the elite cast that includes crack contingents from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The event, organized by the Women’s Golf Association of the Phils., also lured scratch players from South Korea, Japan, Australia and the Netherlands.

Clubs all over the country will also be fielding their best bets in the Open, which will also feature the Class A and Class B events after the classification on the second day. 

Playing are entries from Canlubang, Sta. Elena, Eagle Ridge, Southwoods, Valley Golf, Orchard, AFP Golf Club (formerly Aguinaldo GC), Riviera, Tagaytay Highlands, Alta Vista, ForestHills, Pueblo de Oro, Cangolf, Del Monte, Navy and Southwoods.(pr)

Dottie seeks first Phl Ladies Open crown

Dottie Ardina hopes to nail the only missing jewel in her wide trophy collection as she shoots for her first Philippine Ladies Open diadem against a tough international field beginning Jan. 11 at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club’s East course.

The many-time Junior World champion actually got a crack last year, taking charge in the first day only to lose steam in the last two rounds, losing by six to two-time champion Chihiro Ikeda at The Country Club.

But the 17-year-old spearhead of the ICTSI golf squad is all primed up this year, raring to open her campaign with a victory right on the golden staging of the country’s premier ladies golf championship sponsored by Champion Infinity.

“I’ve prepared hard for this and I’m in tip-top condition,” said Ardina. “But it will be tough since there are a lot of good players. Kung para sa akin, sa akin talaga, kung hindi okay lang.”

The reigning Queen Sirikit Cup champion will be facing a hordes of challengers in the 54-hole event organized by the Women’s Golf Association of the Phils., including fellow ICTSI teammates Andie Unson, Sarah Ababa, Sunshine Baraquiel, Lovelynn Guioguio and former champions Jayvie Agojo and Cyna Rodriguez.

The event also drew a slew of foreign players, including SEA Games silver medalist Pinrath Loomboonruang, who will lead a talent-laden Thailand squad out to end the Filipinas’ domination of the event.

Loomboonruang, who nipped Ardina for the individual gold medal in last year’s year’s Santi Cup, the ladies side of the Southeast Asia Amateur Golf Team Championship, is seeking to become only the third Thai player to win the country’s premier ladies championship after Rika Dila in 1984 and Yupaporn Kawinpakorn in 2007.

She will be joined in the title hunt by top jungolfers Savitree Thavong and Pathamaporn Ariyamatepreecha along with Suthavee Chanachai, Jittakarn Chandraviroj, Pornvipa Sakdee, Supamas Sangchan, Arporn Maneerux, Busara Tanphhipat, Molrudee Mahattanakul, Sasitorn Chokwatana and Sida Raksangob.

Also in the fold are Dutch Maureen Nijhof, Indonesians Sito Calcote and Victoria Chandra, Malaysians Edora Abdullah, Norlida Anis, Lynda Bala, Sylvia Belinggi, Sally Chai Mei Lin, Joan Chin, Annie Chin May Yong and Rabeahtul Dato, Vanessa Fitzgerald, Merina Gan, Wong Leh Hee, Alice Paran Tigan, Shirley Poh, Marilyn Raja, Sern Siew Kien, Maria Wong and Ireen Teng Kim Geok.

The other backers of the event are EEI, Nescafe, RCBC, De Capriccio Jewellers, Tres Palmas, Alabang Ladies Chapter, Canlubang Ladies Chapter, Forest Hills Ladies Chapter, Manila Golf Ladies Chapter, Sta. Elena Ladies Chapter and Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Chapter as hole sponsors.

Clubs all over the country will also be fielding their best bets in the Open, which will also feature the Class A and Class B events after the classification on the second day.
Playing are entries from Canlubang, Sta. Elena, Eagle Ridge, Southwoods, Valley Golf, Orchard, AFP Golf Club (formerly Aguinaldo GC), Riviera, Tagaytay Highlands, Alta Vista, ForestHills, Pueblo de Oro, Cangolf, Del Monte, Navy and Southwoods.(pr)

Minoza snatches crown, nips Dabawenyos Saban, Bayron in playoff

Frankie Minoza (center) shows his trophy after edging Elmer Saban in the second playoff hole to rule the P2.5 million ICTSI Wack Wack Championship, the final leg of the 16-stage ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour. With him are Narlene Soriano, PR manager of the sponsoring ICTSI, and Wack Wack director Pablo Soon.

Bukidnon's Frankie Minoza pulled off one of the most stirring comebacks on the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour, foiling Davaoneos Rufino Bayron and Elmer Saban in the second playoff hole to capture the hotly-disputed P2.5 million ICTSI Wack Wack Championship crown at WW's East course, Friday.
Minoza rallied from seven strokes down to force a sudden death, hitting two crucial birdies on Nos. 13 and 16 and a couple of clutch pars as he and Bayron shot the day’s best scores of 70 while Saban wavered with a 75 in a challenging day at Wack Wack.
The troika finished tied for first at one-under 215 at the close of the 54-hole tournament as the erstwhile leaders, including Ferdie Aunzo, succumbed to pressure and the East challenge in a topsy-turvy final round that served as a fitting ending to the 16-stage circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
As Bayron bowed out after overshooting the 18th green and going out-of-bounds in the first playoff hole, Minoza failed to shake off Saban, flubbing an 18-foot birdie putt. But he pulled through in their third stint on the par-4 finishing hole, tapping in for par then watching Saban miss a pressure-packed six-footer to clinch the win and record his only local crown this year.
But more than the P450,000 purse, the victory proved to be more of a triumph of the spirit for a player on the twilight of his career.
“This is special since I’m already 51 and there are a lot of young players around. But I showed I can still win,” said Minoza, who also won his second Philippine Open crown at Wack Wack in 2007.
It was the third playoff victory recorded in the third full season of the circuit sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. but it topped the first two in terms of excitement and unpredictability, especially in the final round when at least nine players got into the title picture and the leaders changed after each wayward shot or missed putt.
In the end, it was the experience of Minoza that prevailed, his intimidating presence perhaps rattled off Bayron and Saban in the playoff and took their game out of sync, particularly Saban, who cracked with a three-putt miscue from 18 feet.
“Sayang, I had the chance but I just got unlucky,” rued Saban, who nevertheless banked his biggest earning (P320,000) since winning P92,500 in placing second to Juvic Pagunsan in the ICTSI Apo leg last year.
Bayron, winner at Aboitiz Invitational, settled P210,000.
After two 69s, Aunzo’s two-shot lead vanished into thin air with a bogey on No. 2 and a double-bogey on the par-5 No. 5 when he pulled his second shot …He was never the same after that mishap, dropping two more strokes on Nos. 7 and 9 for a birdie-less 41. He matched that output at the back for an 82 in one of the biggest collapses in the circuit.
Aunzo wound up with a 220 and tumbled to joint eighth with Tony Lascuna (72), BDO Canlubang Invitational winner Artemio Murakami (75), Randy Garalde (74) and Michael Bibat (73).
Rates, tied with Saban at second at the start of the final round, likewise wilted under pressure and finished just a shade better than Aunzo with an 80 for a 221 for a share of 13th with ICTSI Negros Occidental winner and former Phl Open champion Robert Pactolerin (73) and Marlon Dizon (77).
Cassius Casas, winner in the Phl Open at WW in 2001, briefly took the lead with a birdie on No. 11 for a two-under card, only to reel back with a bogey on Nos. 14 and missed joining the playoff with a closing double-bogey. He closed out with a 73 for joint fourth with Charles Hong (71) and Dutch Guido Van der Valk (72) at 217.
Anthony Fernando shot a 71 and a 218 for solo seventh in the tournament backed by MJ Carr Golf Management, Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Unilab, Titleist, Sharp, Custom Clubmakers, Mizuno, PinoyGolfer.com, Inquirer Golf, A Round of Golf, Studio 23, Balls, and Dynamic Sports.(pr)

Minoza, Que join stellar ICTSI Wack Wack cast

Frankie Minoza and Angelo Que have confirmed participation in next week's rich ICTSI Wack Wack Championship, adding depth to the already talent laden field chasing the top P450,000 purse in the closing leg of the 2011 ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour on Nov. 23-25 at Wack Wack’s east course.
Minoza and Que hardly saw action in this year’s local circuit with the former shuttling from the US Seniors Tour and the Japan PGA Tour and the latter resuming his campaign on the Asian Tour though they always make themselves available to play here whenever they are free.
Que, in fact, started out the year with back-to-back victories, retaining The Country Club Invitational title and then winning the ICTSI Classic at Mt. Malarayat, the second leg of this year’s circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. He saw action in three other local legs but finished way below expectations and had similar so-so finishes on the Asian Tour with just one top 10 effort (joint ninth) at Avantha Masters in India.
Meanwhile, the traditional pro-am tournament will be held Nov. 22 featuring the leading pros and guests and officials from the event's chief backers, including MJ Carr Golf Management, Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Unilab, Titleist, Sharp, Custom Clubmakers, Mizuno, PinoyGolfer.com, Inquirer Golf, A Round of Golf, Studio 23, Balls, and Dynamic Sports.

"It's going to be an exciting tournament, everybody is here and Frankie and Angelo are two of the players to watch out. However, the course will be challenging for all the players, making it an anybody's game," said Colo Ventosa, general manager of the organizing PGT.

Minoza, on the other hand, finished fifth in the ICTSI Orchard Championship and played in two more local legs before campaigning in the US and Japan.
Both are tipped to contend for the crown in the 54-hole event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. offering a total prize fund of P2.5 million, matching the richest purse staked on the tour at Orchard.
For one, both have reigned at Wack Wack with Minoza winning his second Philippine Open crown in 2007 and Que topping the country’s premier event in 2008. They, however, struggled in this year’s Open, also at Wack Wack, with Minoza finisheing in joint 44th and Que winding up in joint 55th.
Jay Bayron was the best-placed Filipino in the last Phl Open, losing the title to American Berry Henson by just one stroke although he remains a top title contender in the upcoming event which closes out the 16-leg ICTSI PGT.
Teener Miguel Tabuena, toughened up his stints on the Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour, is also in the fold along with Asian Tour regulars Elmer Salvador, Tony Lascuna, Artemio Murakami, guaranteeing a fierce battle for top honors in the blue-ribbon event.
Three-leg winner Jhonnel Ababa is also out to atone for his mediocre finish at ICTSI Canlubang while Mhark Fernando, Jerson Balasabas, Marvin Dumandan, Anthony Fernando, and Robert Pactolerin and Cassius Casas, also winners of the Phl Open at Wack Wack in 1990 and 2001, respectively, are also expected to join the title hunt.(pr)

WW Pres Cup stakes M-Benz, Vios for aces

A brand-new Mercedes Benz and a Toyota Vios J will be staked as hole-in-one
prizes in the 10th President’s Cup which unfolds on Saturday, Dec. 11 at
the west course of Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.
Golf carts from Kart Plaza and Club Car and a set of golf irons from Dynamic
Sports will also be offered as prizes for aces in the annual 18-hole tournament
held in honor of the club’s incumbent president, Dr. Philip Ella Juico.
The M-Benz from Cats Motors Phils. and the Vios from Toyota Balintawak are just
two of the hundreds of prizes up for grabs in the event, which will also give
away 10 grand raffle and 40 major prizes and over a hundred minor items.
A banner cast of 288, including dignitaries, business associates, club members
and guests from the government and private sectors, will clash for top honors in
various divisions, according to Wack Wack’s sports and games committee chairman
Eddie Gobing.
Events on tap are Groups I, II and III and seniors in the men’s division and
Groups I and II for the ladies and guest division.
The shotgun start tee-off will be fired off 6:30 a.m. and 12 noon with the
Double Peoria scoring system to be used in the event also held as part of the
advanced birthday celebrations of the club’s chief executive officer.
Heading the major hole sponsors Pacific Links Golf Developers Inc, Pacific on
Line Corp. Splash Corp., San Miguel Corp. and Stradcom Corp. while making up the
premier sponsors are Unilever Phils. and Northern Islands Co. Inc.
Hole sponsors are Araneta Center Inc., Meralco, Megaworld Corp., Ortigas and
Company, Orissa International, PLDT Business Solutions, Security Bank Corp.,
Subic Bay Freeport Grain Terminal Services Inc. and Trojan Envelope
Manufacturing Corp.
Other supporters of the event are Directories Phils Inc., Pascual Consumer
Healthcare Corp., Mayor Ben Hur Abalos and Rep. Neptali Gonzalez while Asia
Brewery, China Airlines, Eva Air, Toby Sports, Corporate Apparel, Unilever,
Peerless Soap, Global Noble, Bravo Golf, Perskindol, Techpoint Enterprises, Asia
Brewery, Jim Mar Industries, Solar Sports, Sharp Phils, Devant, and Raymondo’s
Trophies, Dynamic Sports Corp. for the Titleist golf balls and Quizgem Media are
the event’s supporters.(pr)