61st Fil-Am golf preparations underway

THIS early, preparations are now being laid out as Baguio City hosts the 61st Annual Fil-Am Golf Invitational Tournament.

The Fil-Am Golf Tournament, now known to many as the Fil-Am Golf Invitational, is a yearly tournament for amateur golf players held at the Baguio Country Club (BCC) and Camp John Hay golf courses.

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"Preparations would be made as early as August," said BCC general manager Anthony de Leon, who co-chairs the event.

It was in 1949, which marked the beginning of this event which grew more and more popular among the Filipino and American elite.

Actually, the Fil-Am Golf Tournament is the year 2007 holder of the Guinness Record as the world's largest amateur tournament for its unbeatable players of more than a thousand yearly.

The tournament is divided into the seniors and the regulars divisions where the former division takes places throughout the first week, and the Regulars division plays the week after.

The event, which has close to 1,200 registered participants, is considered as a big boost to the city's economy, particularly the hospitality and service sectors.

Last year, participants to the annual golfing tournament were able to raise funds for the victims of Typhoon Pepeng which struck the city and brought significant damages to Baguio's tourism industry.

The 60th Fil-Am Golf tournament was more than just a golf game, as it was also used as a vehicle for the recovery of the people and the development of the city. (Roderick Osis)