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Thursday, January 13, 2005
Chiongbian: The Calcutta sideshow
By Edgar R. Chiongbian
Teetime
VIVA Senor Santo Niño! Not only is the Sinulog in full swing, so are the golfers (mimicking a full swing) at the signature Coral Tee golf tournament of Cebu Country Club.
Every year, new golfers get a rare invitation to play in this very popular member-guest golf tournament of CCC. But what makes this event special is the tradition that brings golfers from other parts of the country and abroad to play in a partnership that has been sealed for many years, and still counting.
So, to our visiting golfing brothers, welcome to Cebu! With their faces already so familiar to us, we tend to forget they are not Cebuanos and sometimes fail to say hello. So, you local hackers, greet your fellow golfers even if they look familiar. They are here to enjoy our hospitality. Anyway, judging from their continued attendance, we can safely say that we haven’t lost our touch. To the curious, these guys are here for golf first and Sinulog second.
Last night Raul Incarnation hosted a dinner for our guests from Manila; the sassy Calcutta drop-out Dan Villanueva, amiable Tab Katigbak, my partner Omar Cruz, Junie Veloso and Dante Felizarta. From Cagayan de Oro comes Clifford Celdran and Boy Ramos, et al. From Bacolod Alex Montelibano and Choi Ramos et al.
CCC president Douglas Luym and Hannah Palanca brought in their usual partners and a dozen big guns from Manila Golf led by Rudy Cuenta and Roy Chiongbian. My former boss, Pepito Alvarez, is playing with Imon Suarez and Ben Paca from Chicago with Orly Israel.
As of mid-afternoon yesterday, the first day’s scores coming in were very conservative with the highest team points only at 74. Since there were still players in their back nine, it is hard to tell if that score will hold. Anyway, the bulk of the players are scheduled today, so this day will probably determine the highest score for the first round.
And along with belonging to the top 25 of the first round is the honor of entering the Calcutta. The Calcutta is a Cebu sideshow that is really the main show. This is when the golfers are turned into horses and put on the bidding block, which can get so high it will break your piggy bank. For those who have not witnessed the Calcutta process, you should see it because it is one of a kind.
For the players, the pressure of being in the Calcutta is worse than anything you can imagine. Never mind the money you put in, there are people rooting for you because they also have money riding on the line.
The worst scenario is when you are in the top three because you know everyone is gunning for you and everybody is watching you. The story of a poor showing could last a whole year or longer, or until another one gets that honor. Master auctioneer Ed Misa is always in his best form and his best behavior. But watch out if you win, Ed can change your face to red really quick with his humor.
By the way, another big event for the Sinulog is the six-cock derby at the Banawa cockpit. This year, the purse is over P3 million.
Today is the last day of the elimination round, Friday the insurance round and Saturday the finals. This is the best cockfighting event in Cebu for the year.
You can see many of our golfers also showing up for this derby.
GOLF TIP: Use a simple system to control your distance within the 30- 100 yards to the green. For the average golfer, the pitching wedge is the right club, but can be a sand wedge for long hitters or a 9-iron for others.
The idea is to establish a swing pattern that will consistently help you carry the water hazard or bunker guarding the front of the green. The technique is to vary the length of your backswing, but maintaining the same rhythm and the same full follow-through on all the shots.
For the 30-35 yard distance, bring your backswing (location of the hands) to about chest high. For the 65-70 yards, swing back to a little above the shoulders and a full rotation backswing for the 100 yards. Increase the tempo a little for the in-between shots.
(erc@skyinet.net)
(January 13, 2005 issue)
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