Asian Amateur Championship

From October 28 to November 1, 2009, the inaugural Asian Amateur Championship will be held at Mission Hills Golf Club.  116 of the top male amateurs from the Asia Pacific Region were invited to participate in this 72 hole stroke play event, with a cut line set after 36 holes.  The winner of the event will be granted an invitation to the 2010 Masters Tournament and the top two finishers will be automatically included in the final international qualifying round for the 139th Open Championship at St. Andrews.  But of course the biggest prize would be the distinction on being the top male amateur golfer in Asia.

 

From the Philippines, 6 golfers were invited:  Mhark Fernando (ranked 413 in the R&A World Golf Amateur Ranking), Antonio Asistio (414), Judson Eustaquio (480), Jhonnel Ababa (641), Peter Villaber (820) and Dante Becierra (1321).  It must be noted that these are some of the top amateurs of the Philippines today. Notably not included though is Rufino Bayron who is ranked 541 in the WAGR.

 

In fact the entire field is composed of the best of the best.  According to the criteria set by the tournament only the following are invited:

 

“The top two ranked amateur players from each of the APGC member countries plus the four top ranked players from the host country, as ranked on The R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) as of August 14, 2009. If there is not a sufficient number of players ranked from that member country, the member country may nominate a player(s) from their country with an established handicap of less than 5.4, to be approved by the APGC, to fulfill the two positions eligible from that country.

“The remainder of the field will be filled taking the next highest ranked players of APGC Member Countries, not otherwise qualified from the WAGR as of August 14, 2009. The maximum number of eligible players from any APGC member country, with the exception of the host country, will be six.”

 

After the first round, our guys are doing quite well, all ending the round in the top 31 of the leaderboard.  Mhark Fernando stands at 3rd with a 5 under 67, only two back of the leader Han Ren of China.  Han Chang-won of Korea is at second at 6 under.  Judson Eustaquio is tied for 4th at 4 under.  Antonio Asistio is tied for 6 one shot further.  Jhonnel Ababa, Peter Villaber and Dante Biceirra are all tied for 31st at 1 over par.  Given the scores it is amazing to think that these are amateurs playing a fairly difficult course.  Were it not for a final hole bogey, Han Ren would have scored a 64.  Amazing!!!

 

Good luck to our boys.  May they bring home the bacon and  do our country proud.  We are behind them all the way.  I will be watching this tournament with much interest.  I hope to see a Filipino get an invite to the Masters.  Wouldn’t that be great?

Playing for Flag and Country

This past week, the golfing world lay witness to the fact that golf is not merely an individual pursuit but can, instead be played in representation of flag and country.  In the President’s Cup, the United States upended the spirited charge of the International Team (19 1/2 to 14 1/2) and once again affirmed their dominance of this biennial event.  In the 8 times this event has been staged, the United States has won 6 times.  The International Team won in 1998, held in Melbourne Australia, in convincing fashion (20 1/2 to 11 1/2) for their lone win.  The teams tied in 2003, after the captain’s (Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player) agreed to share the cup as darkness enveloped the The Links Course at Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate George, Western Cape Province, South Africa.   I remember this distinctly.  After the teams tied 17 all, the captains chose one player from each team to represent the sides in a sudden death playoff.  Tiger and Ernie were chosen and they engaged in a dramatic tug-of-war for 3 holes.  They matched clutch putt after clutch putt in the gathering darkness, neither one wanting to concede to the other.  But alas, mother nature had other plans and demanded that the teams demonstrate a show of solidarity by sharing the cup.  Significantly, this is the first President’s Cup after the tragedy of 9/11 underscoring that a show of sportsmanship can mirror the need for unity amongst all men at the time.

I recall that in the first President’s Cup in 1994, Frankie Minoza was actually in the running to make the team, eventually ending up 11th or 12th in the ranking.  Captain David Graham supposedly considered Frankie for inclusion as a captain’s pick but eventually chose Fultom Allen and Tsukasa Watanabe.  When Greg Norman withdrew, Graham chose Bradley Hughes to replace him.  Who know, if perhaps with Frankie’s inclusion in the 1994 team they would not have been beat 20 to 12.  Frankie never really threatened to make the team thereafter.

In addition to the holding of the President’s cup, the golfing world also received wonderful news that golf will be an Olympic Sport in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.  The plan is that, the 60 males and 60 females in the world will compete for the medals in two divisions.  The top 15 players from the world rankings of each group will be automatically included, regardless of the number of representatives a country gets.  After the top 15, players will be chosen by rank so that each country will be represented by at most 2 players.  If a country already has more than 2 players within the top 15, it can no longer be represented by other players thereafter.  This goes on until 60 slots are filled.   If the Olympics were held today, this means that the following will be participating:

1	Tiger Woods	USA	1
2	Phil Mickelson	USA	2
3	Steve Stricker	USA	3
4	Paul Casey	Great Britain/N.Ireland	4
5	Henrik Stenson	Sweden	5
6	Kenny Perry	USA	6
7	Padraig Harrington	Ireland	7
8	Sergio Garcia	Spain	8
9	Jim Furyk	USA	9
10	Geoff Ogilvy	Australia	10
11	Lee Westwood	Great Britain/N.Ireland	11
12	Martin Kaymer	Germany	12
13	Stewart Cink	USA	13
14	Sean O’Hair	USA	14
15	Vijay Singh	Fiji	15
16	Camilo Villegas	Colombia	16
17	Retief Goosen	South Africa	21
18	Ernie Els	South Africa	23
19	Robert Karlsson	Sweden	24
20	Angel Cabrera	Argentina	28
21	Y.E. Yang	Korea	30
22	Mike Weir	Canada	31
23	Robert Allenby	Australia	32
24	Soren Kjeldsen	Denmark	33
25	Miguel A. Jimenez	Spain	40
26	Soren Hansen	Denmark	42
27	Ryo Ishikawa	Japan	43
28	Jeev Milkha Singh	India	48
29	Shingo Katayama	Japan	52
30	Thongchai Jaidee	Thailand	53
31	Stephen Ames	Canada	59
32	Francesco Molinari	Italy	67
33	K.J. Choi	Korea	78
34	Prayad Marksaeng	Thailand	89
35	Thomas Levet	France	97
36	Lin Wen-Tang	Taiwan	99
37	Andres Romero	Argentina	103
38	David Smail	New Zealand	108
39	Edoardo Molinari	Italy	111
40	Danny Lee	New Zealand	125
41	Raphael Jacquelin	France	138
42	Nicolas Colsaerts	Belgium	166
43	Peter Lawrie	Ireland	170
44	Gaganjeet Bhullar	India	172
45	Liang Wen-Chong	China	192
46	Robert-Jan Derksen	Netherlands	201
47	Alex Cejka	Germany	210
48	Felipe Aguilar	Chile	211
49	Markus Brier	Austria	228
50	Jose-Felipe Lima	Portugal	232
51	Brendon de Jonge	Zimbabwe	269
52	Lam Chih Bing	Singapore	271
53	Roope Kakko	Finland	278
54	Fabrizio Zanotti	Paraguay	282
55	Marc Cayeux	Zimbabwe	288
56	Maarten Lefeber	Netherlands	314
57	Lu Wen-Teh	Taiwan	317
58	Henrik Bjornstad	Norway	350
59	Juvic Pagunsan	Phillipines	374
60	Angelo Que	Phillipines	390

(Correction:  This is an updated list.  I was alerted by madsjmd of pinoygolfer.com of a link with the list.  I failed to consider that GBR covers N. Ireland, Wales and Scotland.  As a result, players moved up.  What is really interesting is that our very own Juvic Pagunsan and Angelo Que now make the field under this qualifying system. )

Of course we are talking about 7 years from now, wherein anything can happen.  Perhaps we will be looking at the chances of Marcel Puyat and Miguel Tabuena more by that time.

For the ladies, if the Olympics were held today the following wold make it:

1                   Lorena Ochoa                              MEX

2                   Jiyai Shin                                        KOR

3                   Suzann Pettersen                      NOR

4                   Cristie Kerr                                    USA

5                   Yani Tseng                                     TWN

6                   Paula Creamer                            USA

7                   Angela Stanford                         USA

8                   Karrie Webb                                 AUS

9                   Ai Miyazato                                  JPN

10                 In Kyung Kim                                KOR

11                 Song-Hee Kim                             KOR

12                 Na Yeon Choi                               KOR

13                 Anna Nordqvist                          SWE

14                 Michelle Wie                                USA

15                 Eun-Hee Ji                                     KOR

16                 Catriona Matthew                     SCO

17                 Helen Alfredsson                       SWE

18                 Sakura Yokomine                       JPN

19                 Lindsey Wright                            AUS

20                 Candie Kung                                 TWN

21                 Angela Park                                  BRA

22                 Karen Stupples                           ENG

23                 Sandra Gal                                    DEU

24                 Giulia Sergas                                ITA

25                 Shanshan Feng                           CHN

26                 Janice Moodie                             SCO

27                 Minea Blomqvist                        FIN

28                 Becky Brewerton                       WAL

29                 Li-Ying Ye                                       CHN

30                 Becky Morgan                             WAL

31                 Jennifer Rosales                         PHL

32                 Alena Sharp                                  CAN

33                 Karine Icher                                  FRA

34                 Gwladys Nocera                         FRA

35                 Russy Gulyanamitta                  THA

36                 Melissa Reid                                 GBR

37                 Anja Monke                                 DEU

38                 Nicole Gergely                            AUT

39                 Azahara Munoz                          ESP

40                 Maria Iida                                      BRA

41                 Julieta Granada                           PRY

42                 Beatriz Recari                               ESP

43                 Felicity Johnson                          GBR

44                 Marianne Skarpnord                NOR

45                 Iben Tinning                                 DNK

46                 Marisa Baena                               COL

47                 Silvia Cavalleri                              ITA

48                 Ursula Wikstrom                        FIN

49                 Lee-Anne Pace                           ZAF

50                 Maria Jose Uribe                        COL

51                 Trish Johnson                              ENG

52                 Ashleigh Simon                           ZAF

53                 Hazel Kavanagh                          IRL

54                 Lisa Holm Sorensen                   DNK

55                 Sophia Sheridan                         MEX

56                 Lisa Meldrum                               CAN

57                 Marjet van der Graaff              NLD

58                 Maria Verchenova                     RUS

59                 Virada Nirapathpongporn      THA

60                 Lynnette Brooky                        NZL

Jennifer Rosales easily made the list and would be an Olympian if the games were held today.  Hopefully she will still be there 7 years from now, perhaps with other Pinoy lasses like Dottie Ardina.

Playing for one’s country is every athlete’s dream.  In golf, there is the world cup and the President’s or Ryder’s Cup to strive for.  But the mystique of the Olympics cannot be beat.  Every athlete wants to be an Olympian.  Here’s to hoping that in 2016, Filipinos will be fully represented in Olympic Golf.

2009 Philippine Blog Awards

I just got official word that The Duffer is one of the finalists in the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards under the sports blog category.  I am thankful for this wonderful honor.  I did not expect this humble undertaking to be recognized by such an esteemed group.  Other finalists in this category are:

Best Sports Blog
Buhay Basketball
Fire Quinito
i2runner
Lakers Today
Philippine Basketball Blog
Philippine Boxing
Sports and Tech sa Pilipinas

Thank you and I raise a glass to all these blogs and hope that Philippine blogging continue to grow.

Golf and Charity

Stating the obvious, we are in trying times.  The onslaught brought about by Typhoon Ondoy has left many with nothing.  Rains equivalent to a month’s worth unloaded on the Metro over a 9 hour period causing massive flooding, resulting in the loss of lives and property.  Simply, these are the times that test the human spirit.

And in true pinoy fashion, we have seen, in the last few days, the best in the Filipino people.  The outpouring of generosity has been fantastic, with people not thinking twice about donating to various relief centers all over the metropolis.  Concerts are bein held, events being organized, affairs being sponsored, all for the purpose of raising funds for our brothers and sisters who have suffered greatly.  Having had the chance to visit the Ateneo donation center at the Ateneo Covered Courts, I witnessed an outpouring of charity in the form of goods and more importantly time and energy from the volunteers.  College kids, teachers, administrators, priests, novices, outsiders, parents, people from all over converged under the steelframed courts to give what they can to the victims of this terrible tragedy.  What is most heartening is that the student volunteers who manned the entry and exit points made very sure to be engaging, effusive in thanks and pleasant, underlying the idea that charity need not be a dour undertaking but is rather a venue to uplift the spirit and to share in the euphoria of giving.

In the golfing front, the ICTSI, through it’s tour, announced that  the ICTSI-Royal Northwoods Classic shall be a venue for the title sponsors and other sponsors to give to the victim of Typhoon Ondoy.  News agencies reported that ICTSI and MJ Carr Golf Management, will donate P120,000 to the Caritas Foundation in aid to the victims.  In addition, ICTSI and MJ Carr have chipped in P50,000 each while the PGAP (Professional Golfers Association of the Philippines) and TPGAP (Touring Professional Golfers Association of the Philippines) donated P20,000.  This is a wonderful development as we now see in our local golfing scene that golf tournaments can be venues for charitable works.  Thank you ICTSI, MJ Carr, PGAP and TPGAP for showing everyone that the golfing community does indeed hear the cries of those in need.  Perhaps other golf organizers can join the band wagon and use parts of the proceeds they earn from their events for the benefit, not only of the Typhoon victims but also for other charities in dire need.

(By the way, Ferdie Aunzo won the event by 1 stroke over the veteran Rey Pagunsan.  Pagunsan rallied with a 65 on the final day but Aunzo shot a steady 69, including gutsy pars on the last 4 holes, including a testy 8 footer in 17, to preserve a bogey free round and the win.  For his efforts he won P200,000.  He is now at the top of the standings of the 10 leg ICTSI Golf Tour with P510,000, with three events to go.)

In the United States, practically all, if not all golf tournaments provide funds for various charitable institutions and causes.  The St. Jude’s Classic is known for giving to the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, one of the top children’s hospitals that deal with child cancer research.  The Arnold Palmer Invitational in Bayhill gives to the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital.  Jack’s Memorial gives to several Central Ohio charities.  Tiger’s AT&T of course gives to the US Military.  Knowing this, it is therefore heartening to see that local golf tour sponsor ICTSI has duplicated the wonderful work done in the US Tour by likewise  pledging, at least for one tournament, that moneys will be given to charitable causes.  Perhaps the Asian Tour can also pick this up and proceeds from these events can also be funneled into identified charities.  Calling the Asian Tour, it may be time for you to answer the call of our less fortunate.

Now is the time to think beyond our drives and our putts.  The season for giving arrives a little earlier this year.

Response from a La Sallian

In my last blog I wrote about the Ateneo La Salle Golf Controversy.  Interestingly, my blog reached a wide enough audience that I got good responses.  One was from a friend, Michael Pineda, who is the uncle of Miguel Pineda Marcelo who is in the center of the entire controversy.  He asked that I relay to you his side of the matter in the spirit of fair play.  I am therefore reprinting hereunder the relevant portions of his letter for everyone’s appreciation.  I would like to point out that like me, he too called for the speedy resolution of the controversy to uphold the spirit of camaraderie and of the game itself.  I am also asking, as per Michael’s request, that my fellow Ateneans refrain from “mudslinging”.  From what he relates it appears that Miguel had no intention to break any rules.  Unless anything more concrete to the contrary appears there is no reason not to take his word for it.  Michael’s letter states:

“The aggrieved party, Rafael Miguel Pineda Marcelo or “Migol”, as he is fondly called, is my nephew. I opted to shy away from this brouhaha, leaving it up to both school reps to settle this without any fanfare. But after having read your article and after being told about repeated tirades from other Ateneo blog sites, I allow me to reply in defense of my nephew.

In 2008 and I quote you: “Mr. Marcelo / Pineda played in last year’s edition of the Ateneo La Salle Classic as Miguel Marcelo and declared a 10.6 handicap and thus played in Class A”.

By then, his handicap should have been officially listed in the books.

In the 2009 golf classic, being a La Salle student, my nephew obviously registered himself as a Marcelo and declared Sta. Elena as his home club (as you have mentioned). As tournament rules dictate, the IPI was tasked to ascertain the handicaps of all participants (I was told that this new IPI rule was implemented just this year). Unfortunately, the name Miguel P. Marcelo did not appear as a listed member of Sta. Elena. Hence, this led the organizing committee to assign him to the open class division instead of the class A division.

The chronology of events clearly shows inconsistency when in fact, I have attached a copy from Sta. Elena Golf Club certifying that Rafael Miguel Pineda Marcelo (and NOT Miguel Pineda) is indeed a qualified dependent of said club as of December 13, 2007, effectively covering both the 2008 and 2009 tournaments. As to why his name did not surface on the IPI is ironic.

And yes, Migol is proud to be a class A player and I resent that he pretended ignorance and insisted playing in the open class.

Undeniably, there was a mix up. But from what I have outlined, these questions come to mind:

Isn’t it the task of the tournament organizers to check, double check, triple check all participants’ backgrounds? How could this have slipped through them when in fact, Migol already played in 2008? Why did it not revert to the 2008 listing? Did the organizing committee carelessly perform its duties? Should we rename it the “oversight” committee instead?

Did Sta. Elena forget to register his name on the computer? Who is the golf director of Sta. Elena and can anyone please show him the attached Sta. Elena letter of which he heads no less!?

Having said these, should La Salle be blamed, more so, my nephew be accused of impropriety?

As to La Salle’s response, I also was told that about two weeks after the controversy erupted, both schools had settled the matter by declaring a non-winner and that the individual winners can keep their respective trophies. A week after that, Ateneo changed its mind and wanted the trophies returned. Which is which? I understand there will be a meeting next week pending the return of Mr. Lito Tanjuatco from a trip.

On a side note, further to the rules of golf of the USGA under Rule 34.1 as you have published, I was told that in last year’s tournament, the exact incident occurred but this time, it was an Atenean from Cagayan de Oro who officially had a handicap and yet he played in the open class division. As we all know, Ateneo went on to win that tournament but no uproar was heard from La Salle, regardless of the significance of his misclassification, being a gentleman’s game. Perhaps La Salle applied the USGA rule 34-1 that the “competition has closed”? This may be a bit interesting investigative work but this is water under the bridge.

I agree that both sides must find a speedy resolution to uphold the spirit of camaraderie between both schools and of the game itself. But it pains me to hear a relative of mine being branded a cheater by some reckless and self-righteous quarters, dragging the rest of us and besmirching our family’s name. Migol is the victim more than the culprit. My nephew is very passionate about golf. I beg the misinformed not to destroy a 20-year old’s dream of becoming an exceptional golfer. In the same breadth, I urge you to appeal to the Ateneans to stop the mudslinging, “in the spirit of fair play”.”

Thank you Michael for your letter and I hope you will pass on to the Duffer any other developments in relation to this matter.  Hope to hear from you again.

The Ateneo La Salle Golf Classic Controversy

Last July 31, 2009, the day we celebrate the Feast of St. Ignatius, Ateneo and La Salle engaged in the 25th edition of the Ateneo-La Salle Golf Classic at the Canlubang Golf and Country Club.  This friendly event is divided into eight divisions, namely: Championship, A, B, C, D, Ladies, Seniors and Open flights using June handicap indices.  As with all Ateneo La Salle competitions, the match was fought with a full display, not just of talent but also of heart.  In the end the organizers announced that La Salle beat Ateneo 47 to 41.  All went their merry way and plans for next year’s classic were already being considered.

Then, controversy reared it’s ugly head.  Last September 3, 2009, the Ateneo Golf Club came out with a letter addressed to the La Salle Golf Club, claiming that due to the misclassification of a La Salle player, Ateneo should have won the match.  From investigations made it was gathered that a certain Miguel P. Marcelo, with Sta. Elena Golf Club as his declared home club, played for La Salle in the Open division, the division for those with no handicaps.  It appears that Miguel P. Marcelo is not listed as a member of Sta. Elena Golf Club and therefore had no handicap, thus resulting in his assignation to the Open Division.  His stellar play led him to win the Open class with a gross score of 74, net 66.  This meant that La Salle earned 5 points from the Open Division.  It was later revealed, however, that in fact Miguel P. Marcelo is known as Miguel Pineda, a member of Sta. Elena with a 6.7 handicap, which would have classified him in the Class A Division.  How significant is his misclassification to the entire match?

As was discussed in the forums of pinoyglfer.com, the following would be the consequence of the misclassification:

1.   Since Mr. Marcelo / Pineda carried a handicap of 6.7 he should have been classified in the Class A Division.  His score would have been good enough to land 2nd in said division.  Considering though that La Salle blanked Ateneo in Class A, the 11 points they earned, would have been intact.  The only change would be that he placed in said division.

2.   As they presently stand, the score in the Open Division division is 8 to 3 for La Salle, whose score is composed of the 5 points of Mr. Marcelo / Pineda and another 3 points for the low net score which went to another person.  Ateneo got the 1st (2 points) and 2nd (1 point) runner-up positions.  Without Mr. Marcelo / Pineda, the winner of low gross would have been an Atenean and the 1st and 2nd runners up would still be Ateneans.  The result would have been 8 to 3 in favor of Ateneo.  Taking away the 5 points from La Salle and giving it to Ateneo would mean that Ateneo would’ve won 46 to 42.

To even add more fire to the controversy, it appears that Mr. Marcelo / Pineda played in last year’s edition of the Ateneo La Salle Classic as Miguel Marcelo and declared a 10.6 handicap and thus played in Class A.  He was a member of the DLSU College Golf Team and has been a member of Sta. Elena since 2007.

To date La Salle has not answered Ateneo’s letter.  Accounts have said that Mr. Marcelo / Pineda returned his trophy to La Salle.  Officially, La Salle is still the declared champion.

On one hand I see Ateneo’s position that the integrity of the game must be upheld and that the results should reflect what is correct.  Marcelo / Pineda knew he was a Class A player and had represented La Salle in that capacity previously.  He cannot now feign ignorance and say that he should rightfully be in the Open Class.  On the other hand, La Salle may argue (they have not come up with a response) that matches should be decided in the course and not the board room (an argument they have used in the UAAP).  Further, under the rules of golf of the USGA it states under Rule 34.1 thereof that:

34-1. Claims and Penalties

x x x.

b. Stroke Play

In stroke play, a penalty must not be rescinded, modified or imposed after the competition has closed. A competition is closed when the result has been officially announced or, in stroke-play qualifying followed by match play, when the player has teed off in his first match.

Considering that the competition is closed and the result declared, this cannot be changed anymore.

It would be preferred if La Salle issues a response to Ateneo in order that positions will be clear between the parties.  Otherwise, this 2009 edition of the Classic will forever be mired in controversy, with both sides claiming victory.  If this is supposed to be a friendly, then something like this will clearly be a taint in the friendship.

Respect Your Elders

Around 2 weeks ago I was playing a round at Valley Golf South Course with my two law firm partners.  Our managing partner is past 60 while our other partner is past 70.  We were standing on the tee box of one of the par 4 holes at the back 9.  My septuagenarian partner hit his tee shot and it flew a good distance from where we stood.  I stood over my ball, remembers my swing thoughts, composed myself and let ‘er rip.  I picked the ball cleanly from the tee and the ball shot up in the same direction as my partner.  It landed a good distance away as well and even continued to roll.  Walking towards our ball I noticed that I had outdriven both my partners by a pretty good distance.  I thought, “Man that was a good drive.”  I was pulled from my reverie though when my septuagenarian partner, a man I outweigh by close to 100 pounds, uttered, “Finally, you out-drove me.”  This led me to quickly review all our previous holes and true enough I was getting my 40-year old butt whipped from the tee.  I may have had a few pars here and there but even a review of the score card revealed that he was way ahead of me.  Dazed and confused I then proceeded to hit my next shot fat as well as the one after that.  It bears mentioning at this point that my 70-plus year old partner is an 18 handicapper from Valley, who has been playing for over 25 years.  His membership number is in fact a single digit.  He is therefore no slouch in the course.  Anyway, the next few holes laid bare what had actually quite obvious up to that point.  I was getting smoked by my elder partner with much regularity.  On the 17th, the last driving hole, I again concentrated one my tee shot and let go with certainty.  My partner thereafter followed.  I outdrove him on that hole.  Seeing this I looked towards him and he had this smile that seemed to say, well young one, “good for you”.  I then hit the next two shots in the water and walked away with a 10.

In other sports like basketball, football, volleyball youth provides a very significant advantage.  True, good shooters never lose their shots and footballers will always have their ball control, but in a full out game, kids will always have an advantage over their elderly counterpart, inasmuch as they have the agility, strength and flexibility needed to be competitive.  I often say that I knew I was too old for basketball when I bulled my way into the paint and tried to go up for the shot, only to find that the basket was farther than I had anticipated.  Hang time, I had lost, as Yoda would say.

Golf though is unlike these sports.  This is a sport not dominated by strength.  The strongest and the fastest do not always come in first.  This is a game of the mind.  Strength in golf comes from mastering that inner resolve to play within yourself, to keep the proper tempo, to maintain the proper angles, to see the lines of the green and the breath of the wind.  Only when the mind has mastered these will golf be beautifully played.  I remember when I was in my mid 20’s I played with my friend (then a beginner) and his aunt and uncle at  my old stomping ground, Capitol Hills Golf and Country Club (then a par 72 championship course).  At that time I was just a few years removed from being a member of a dragon boat team, and I played basketball with regularity and was in the peak of health.  I carried a respectable 20 handicap and played as much as 3 times a week.  Amongst us though, my friend’s 60-year old aunt carried the best handicap of 18.  She was quiet, unassuming, and reminded me of a genteel Angela Lansbury.  Back then I played golf with abandon.  My drives were always hit hard though not always straight.  Iron sots slashed through the rough and the fairway.  My birdie attempts were often on or around the green.  Dear old auntie was the exact opposite.  Her drives flew no further than 130.  She often played third shots on par 4s from 80 yards out.  She would bloop her shots straight and true and walk gingerly towards the ball.  From 80 yards out though, she was murderous.  She would hit her pitches straight towards the cup.  She would then line up her putt with the focus of Tiger, reading every break, debating every line.  She would then putt through the ball with the tempo of Ben Crenshaw.  Sweet and true.  In the end I shot my handicap of 20.  She was below her handicap of 18.  I was flabbergasted.  In spite of my heroic efforts I was upended by a lovely lady I could have run around in circles were we playing a more physical sport.

Knowing all these I now view golf with humility and encouragement.  I am humbled by this sport because it does not require mere brute strength and athleticism to conquer.  Golf is a game of the mind.  I requires clarity of thought, keeness of perception, understanding of one’s self and limitations.  It does not need the energy of hip hop but rather the metronome tempo of a waltz.  I am humbled by the thought the there is much to learn about this sport and that the answers are still out there to discover.  More importantly, I am humbled by the thought that the elder guy I am with on the tee may not only be an equal but a superior, a teacher, ready to impart the secrets of the game.  I too am encourage because I know that golf will be with me for a lifetime.  I will play this game for as long as I can swing back my clubs and plow through.  I also know that one day I will play with some young one who will look at me dismissively, but then be rudely awakened to the reality that his a*s is about to get smoked.  Oh golf, you get better with age.

Feel Good, Play Navy

All golf courses are challenging.  All golf courses can eat you up, spit you out and leave you crying by the road.  All golf courses can chop you at the knees and cause you to decry the unfairness of this four letter worded game called golf.  All golf courses can be golf curses.  So let it not be said that there are golf courses that are so easy that anybody playing them would conquer them and yield career highs.

But there are golf courses that just look and feel great for some players.  As they say, horses for courses.  For me, that course is the Philippine Navy Golf Club at Fort Bonifacio.  Laid out as a par 71, this public course, with it’s carabao grass, bermuda greens, undulating fairways, muddy terrain (when raining) is somehow pleasing to my eyes, leading me to play well there more often than not.  I do not, by any stretch of the imagination think that it is a beauty to behold, nor do I think it is a push over and that I can bring it to it’s knees, but it definitely is a course I enjoy playing.

Starting out with a reachable par 5, for the long hitters, the 1st hole intimidates not because of how it is contoured but because it sits a mere stone’s throw away from the dining area.  Teeing off the first is therefore a tee off before a huge gallery.  This is never an easy proposition.  For those who play Baguio Country Club, you know how intimidating it is to play your first hole before the crowd. The same is true for hole number 1 in Navy.  After this rather benign hole, the 2nd provides the biggest challenge in the entire course.  It is a long par 4, with a slight dog leg to the left.  More often than not, the hole plays against the wind.  While the landing area is quite generous, the length can really wreak havoc to high handicappers.  Personally I play this as a par 5, as most high handicappers should.  After a rather straightforward par 3, 3rd, the 4th offers a very interesting problem.  A 90 degree dog leg left hole, long hitters can easily reach the open area to the green.  But by doing so, he is often left with a hook lie, facing a green protected by a gaping bunker to the left.  Bailing out on the right is not the way to go as well as the right is also protected by a bunker.  Course managers often put the flag behind this right side bunker to offer some problems.  If you are a short hitter, you usually end up with an even lie but with trees blocking your view of the pin.  You can try to be creative by bumping your way to the green via the sloping fairway but because of the bunkers it is easier said than done.

The 5th is an interesting par 3 being a good climb up from the tee to the green though it often requires only a short iron to conquer.  Considering though you do not see the green there is some intimidation factor involved.  The next 2 par 4’s are the holes to score in provided you have good drives.  They are rather short whith little trouble.  The par 3 8 is also pretty straightforward though is often against the wind.  The par 5 9th is the second challenge in the outward 9 as it is rather long and uphill.  While the fairway is wide, hitting it is not often an easy proposition because of the wind.

The back nine starts with a good easy par 3 which get’s your confidence up after butchering 9.  The suceeding par 4 and the next par 3 are also simple enough that they should serve up pretty good scores.  After those 3 good scoring opportunities, the next 3 par 5’s can either be good scoring holes, if you play them straight and long or can be brutally long challenges if you spray your shots.  Having a good command of the driver is really necessary for these holes.  Having 3 successive par 5s can also be quite daunting.  The next 2 par 3’s are quite contrasting.  The first is short and should give up a good score. The 17th though is quite long and has bunkers in front and at the left.  Slice it right, you also end up in the drink.  The 18th is the 3rd real challenge of the course.  A long par 4 which requires a pretty good carry off the tee, otherwise you fall into the water.  Being a short hitter I dread holes like this as more often than not I lose a ball.  If you get over that, the approach to the green is also not that easy.  Playing up hill with bunkers protecting the front a good 20 yards from the green, you are given a false illusion that the green is closer than it really is.  The green plays from front to back and good control of speed is necessary.

After playing Navy I am often pleasantly greeted by a pretty good looking score card.  The course, as I have said is not easy but neither will it make you want to give up golf, the way Langer in Riviera does.  More importantly, the course is a public course and is easily accessible.  It is a good meeting place for friends and family to get a good quick round in surrounded by hearty laughs and good vibes.  I played there last monday with my golfing buddies and in spite of the torrential downpour, leaving us stranded on the 14th for a good 15 minutes, we never stopped smiling, laughing, joking around and generally having a merry old time.  This is really what Navy offers, a good challenge and an enjoyable round.

The 14th GDAP Golf Expo

Over the last weekend, the Golf Distributors Association of the Philippines held its 14th Golf Expo at Hall 1 of the SMX Convention Center beside the Mall of Asia.  On display were the various products of the members of the GDAP, including clubs, bags, balls, gloves, apparel and other golf related items.  It was virtually heaven for golf enthusiasts who are obsessed with golf equipment and all things golf-related.  What is most significant for golfers is the fact that all items carried huge discounts on both old and new stocks.  This allowed golfers the opportunity to purchase those clubs they have been salivating over but are just a smidge over their price range.  In other words it was quite heavenly for people like me.

I entered the SMX Convention  Center with little expectations.  I needed an upgrade on both my irons and my driver and I thought that finding a bargain for either one would be fine.

The irons I had been using for over a decade now are those irons sold in proline, made in Taiwan with some generic brand name.  Seriously, each club had a different sweet spot and I had to remind myself of the location of each one before addressing the ball.  I in fact suspect that some of them did not even have one.  These clubs were really given to me and my brothers by my dad when I started golfing around 15 years ago.  When we all started moving out of the house, we all ended up grabbing the clubs we had been most using at the time.  My brother got the Mizuno’s I got the generic one.  Oh well.  I could not really hit those Mizuno’s anyway so nothing  lost, I suppose.  The driver was a gift from a client.  It is a pretty good Wilson driver but it did not really meet the specs for my game.  I am not really strong and long and this club was rather heavy and unforgiving.  The result, a lot of pull hooks.

So off into Hall 1 I went in search for the bargain I hope to find.  I started looking around in earnest asking the sales people from all the stalls a million and 1 questions first about the irons, which is probably more needed, then for the driver.  I went to the Callaway area and found out that they were selling irons per piece at only P1,000 per club.  I needed irons from 6 to PW as I already had hybrids for 4 and 5.  I found 6 and 7 but alas all 8, 9 and PW’s have been taken.  I thought long and hard about still getting the 6 and 7 but then I thought it would really be strange to see a set where every other club was different.  Talk about confusion.  I then went into Pacsports.  I chanced upon a sales guy who was very helpful.  He showed me the different irons sets and recommended several with clubs from 5 to PW.  I then explained that I am not a really good player and I needed all the help I could get from my clubs.  But I too had limitations on my budget.  With a glint in his eye he then said that he had the set for me.  He pointed out the Nike CCI cast iron set, 5 to PW, graphite regular shafts.  He whispered that this club was plenty forgiving, was light enough, and most importantly carried 70% off the stated price.  He revealed that other clubs like the Nike Slingshot and the Sumo were more forgiving but they too had heftier prices.  He then recommended that I take the clubs as it was one of the last sets at that price.  I inspected the same and asked him to hold them for a while as I wanted to ask my friends about it.  In truth I needed to get out of there to trawl the net for information on these clubs.

I ended up at Gloria Jeans for a quick caffeine fix and to use the mall’s wifi system to research.  The very first site I saw revealed that the Nike CCI forged clubs is perhaps the best club Nike has produced.  Ok it did not say anything about the cast iron set but it couldn’t be too bad right?  Given what I read I was ready to take the plunge.  The fact that it was 70% off too cannot be beat.  Armed with additional knowledge from the web I walked back into the SMX hall 1.  Before entering though I realized something very very important.  I still have not received a Father’s Day gift.  Ah-ha!  A quick call to my wife and I got the answer I was hoping for.  She was ready to take care of my irons.  Yahooooo!!!! swipe that card.

But before doing so I chanced upon a rack of drivers carrying the Cleveland Hibore XLS line.  I have their hybrids and I am quite happy with them.  Their drivers could not be that bad then right?  Better still I found the one driver with the loft I wanted, neutral with Asian specs shafts.  Could it be that serendipity has pointed me to my new driver?  More importantly it was priced at P8,000, less than my irons and far less than it’s original price of close to P20,000.  Before I could talk my way out of buying I brought the irons and the driver to the counter and flashed my spanking new credit card.  A few minutes later I was the proud owner of new clubs.  The rest of the afternoon was spent picking up new gloves and short sleeved rain gear (at 60% off), walking around with friends and engaging sales people about their latest stuff.  Suffice it to say I left the SMX happy, thinking that the GDAP has succeeded in making at least one  person glad he trooped over to MOA in spite of a typhoon.

Yesterday, without trying out my new clubs in the range I played a round with some friends.  The rain was incessant, though not that strong as to prohibit play.  I faced the soggy fairway with my new driver at the first hole hoping only that I make decent contact, just enough to see the ball fly.  Before stiffening up with anxiety, I swung the driver towards the teed up ball and the sound of a solid hit followed.  Oh joy, the sound of a well hit shot.  Tee shots in subsequent holes even improved.  My iron play also saw significant improvement.  My pitching wedge to the last hole was a site to behold and opne I will not forget.  Beginner’s luck?  First time user’s delight?  Who cares.  I am very happy with my new clubs, that’s it.  Thank you GDAP golf expo, I can remain a happy golfer.

Marcel Puyat

From blog.imgacademies.com

Congratulations to Marcel Puyat for making the round of 16 of the US Men’s Amateur held last week at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He did very well as he was seeded 26th after the stroke play with a score of five over par.  He then proceeded to beat David Sheman of Canada (3&1) in the round of 64.  Marcel had been down by3 after a mere 4 holes but rallied mightily in the back 9.  He was 3-under over the last 7 holes to win the match.

In the round of 32, he showed Scott Langley of St. Louis Missouri, the door beating him 4&3.  Marcel dominated this match going up by as much as 6 after the 10th hole.  Marcel stumbled a bit with a bogey in the 11th, a double at the 12 and another bogey at 14.  But he held on, steadily making par on 15, while Langley could only come up with a bogey for the match.

In the round of 16, he met up with Bhavik Patel of Bakersfield California.  The match can only be described as a nip and tuck afair as both players exchanged leads throughout the match.  Marcel led 1 up after 4 holes.  After the 8th Patel was up by 2.  Marcel roared back to rest the lead in 11th and was even 2 up after the 15.  Three bogeys coming home though did him in.  Against the pars of his opponent, Marcel ended up with the wrong end of the stick losing by 1.  Good show but he just could not get over the hump.

At the tender age of 16, Marcel already achieved what so many only dream of.  He has the talent and more importantly the head to be able to compete at a very high level.  In spite of the fact that he is just 16 years old, this young golfer, already ranks 106th amateur by Golfworld, is already a grizzled veteran of many prestigious international tournaments and this only prepares him for even greater challenges in the future.  In the article of John Klein in tulsaworld.com he quoted Marcel as saying that, “When you play as much as we do in junior golf, you are used to the tournament set up and how everything works,” said Puyat. “It is all similar to you. So, maybe you don’t feel as intimidated.”  What’s great though is that he is realisitic enough to know that there is still so much to learn, even from the experience of losing, like he did here.  He said, “Still, I’m young. It is a great experience. I’ll learn from it.”

With talent as prodigious as his, the sky is the limit.  If he continues to learn, work hard and get the best instruction from the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, we will soon witness the dawning of a new era in Philippine Golf, the Marcel Puyat era.

From tulsaworld.com