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Thursday, September 23, 2004
Chiongbian: Taking the canal to dreamland
By Edgar R. Chiongbian
Tee time
THE Ryder Cup became the Waterloo for the American team. There were cannons to left of them, cannons to the right of them and cannons in front of them. The only defense they could make was to hide behind the guy named after an animal.
The two-man team competitions turned to be more enjoyable to watch because it was painful to see the Americans slowly self-destruct in the individual matches. It was quite obvious to me, if not to everyone, that the American team did not bond enough for this Ryder Cup as they went about their business playing it like a singles match. In contrast, the Europeans were constantly talking to each other and always helping out in reading each other’s putt. A lesson to be learned, even for the pros.
And did you see Sergio Garcia smiling and laughing a lot? Well he hasn’t heard it yet but he has now been labeled as the best player who hasn’t won a major, after Mickelson got his Master’s trophy.
Did you know that PGA Tour has a one-ball policy for tournament play? This means that a player can use only one brand and type through-out the whole tournament and if he runs out of balls he either has to get one in his car or buy one at the clubhouse or incur a two-stroke penalty for every hole played.
He must also consider that there is a two-stroke penalty for delay of game. A loophole to this rule is that a player is allowed to borrow balls from another player without penalty as long as it is of the same brand and type.
CANAL DREAM. I was told that the special meeting hosted by CCC golf chairman Montito Garcia for the golfers went very well. Lots of people showed up, which was followed by a lively interchange of ideas. We are happy to report that the suggestion for establishing handicap based solely on tournament play is now in the hands of Choy Sala for final review.
And I have a tale to tell about the small canal in the landing area for the senior golfers on the 11th hole. This canal was made to beautify the golf course as well as to provide the flow of water from the different ponds. Dean Diez told me that in 18 years he had not made a complaint about anything.
So after the meeting, the intensity of that thought followed him to dreamland. He said, “The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and there was the canal already filled-in and back to what it was before.” Then he woke up and realized that dreams can make a sucker out of you.
Sorry Dean, I think you have better chances of increasing your clubhead speed than getting that canal filled.
Hey, do you know Dr. Wyben Briones? I do and all I can say is that he is a pillar in the making.
Yes, and it’s not that he is built like a pillar. Wyben is a prominent neurosurgeon, holds up the pieces for RC Metro Cebu, and most specially the best example of an ideal golfer.
He is the only golfer that smiles even in losing. He smiles and laughs after making a bad shot.
Smiles and congratulates you when he pays up. The only problem: He is so busy that he gets to play only on Sunday and holidays. We need more of his kind in our golf courses, just to balance the you-know-whats!
Dancesport Team Cebu City was at the 2004 Hong Kong International Championships and once again did us proud by winning some of the featured events. Eight couples represented the Philippines, three of them from Cebu.
The RP Team almost made a nice sweep in the Latin event when the three Cebuano couples won with Eleanor Hayco and Loloi Rendon as champions, Jonah and Jogie Del Rosario third, and Cely Chiongbian and Rannel Espinssa fifth.
GOLF TIP: The lob wedge may be the right club to use for high floaters but it can also be valuable for chipping. It is particularly useful when you need to pop the ball over some rough and stop it quickly.
To do the lob chip, play the ball even with your back foot. This position will promote clean contact in the thick grass. Set the clubface square to the target and simply cock the club up with your wrist and drop it back down to the ball with minimal follow-through.
The ball will pop out, land on the green and dribble to the hole. If you don’t have a lob wedge, this can be accomplished to some degree of success with a sand wedge.
(e-mail: erc@skyinet.net)
(September 23, 2004 issue)
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