|
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Country Club penalized
By Jobannie C. Tabada Of Sun.Star Cebu
DAVAO City – Cebu Country Club had a disastrous opening round in its campaign to retain the Founders division title of the 59th Philippine Airlines Men’s Regular Interclub at the Apo Golf and Country Club yesterday.
As if the sub-par 105 points wasn’t bad enough, CCC was dealt another crucial blow when a two-point deduction was assessed on the team after Joseph Stevens, a rookie for the defending champion, breached a tournament rule while putting on hole nine.
The two-point deduction dropped CCC from joint third to joint fourth with Forest Hills, each with 103 points.
Wack Wack, with three players scoring at least 30, moved to the lead with 116 points, while Riviera, last year’s runner-up, had 109 points for second. Negros Occidental had 105 points for third.
“It’s not yet over,” said CCC team captain Garcia, who was surprised to see Wack Wack at the driver’s seat. “There are still plenty of holes to play.”
Garcia blamed the team’s poor performance on the sudden change of weather.
While rain was a constant in last week’s Senior Interclub, yesterday’s opening round of the Men’s Regular had players enduring the searing sun all day.
“When we practiced on Monday, the course was wet,” said Garcia. “Yesterday, the fairways were dry, which made it a lot faster and the yardage longer.”
Garcia led CCC with 31 points, while Marko Sarmiento, making up for a poor 10-point front nine with a blistering one-over 17 points on the back, added 27. Nonoy Tirol had 24 points, while Jojo Tiongko and Stevens had 23 points apiece.
Only one of the two 23s will count in the five-to-pay-four-to-count format.
Poised
Although he failed to score on the second hole, Stevens pocketed 14 points after eight holes and was poised to have the best performance among the CCC players halfway through the first round.
But things turned sour on the ninth, a par-4 dogleg right stretching 408 yards. After missing a putt for bogey, Stevens lost count of the score and continued to play, holing out – and paying dearly for it.
Tournament rules state that a player ends play on a hole after missing a shot for bogey. Violation of the rule means a two-point deduction on the team.
“Nakalimot (He forgot),” said Garcia. “He was actually playing well (in the front nine) and was probably carried by his momentum when he tried to complete the hole.”
Major blow
Meanwhile, Canlubang’s bid to score a rare double suffered a major blow yesterday as the Championship division started off at Rancho Palos Verdes the way it did last year – Canlubang at third, Del Monte second and the youth-laden Southwoods on top.
While it only had a slim two-point edge over Del Monte and six over Canlubang last year, Southwoods this time started off with 145 points for a nine-point lead over the Mindanao squad and 10 over Canlubang, whose Senior team won its first PAL Senior Interclub title on Saturday.
Action Asia, Airbus, Boeing, GE Aviation, GMA 7, Honda Cars Davao, INQ7.net, Joey 92.3, Royal Caribbean International, Pagcor, People Asia, Premier Wine & Spirits, Rudy Project, UMBN and Uraya Land Development Corp. are the tournament’s major sponsors.
The corporate backers are ABS-CBN International, Fortune Tobacco and Radio Mindanao Network. The other sponsors are 96.3 Wrock, Asia Brewery, Century Park Hotel, Honda Megamotors Corporation, SM City Davao and Tanduay Rhum.
Anthony Fernando and Toru Nakajima had 37 points each for Southwoods, Niichio Matsumura had 36, while Tonton Asistio had 35.
Del Monte drew strength from the first-day best 40 points of Jet Plete. Boboy Jaraula had 37 points, while Ramon Velez added 31. Marty Ilagan and Jolan Miñoza had 28 apiece.
Villamor leads the Sportswriters division with 105 points. Gary Sales scored 29 points, Jun Arceo 28, Dong Bobis 25 and Stanley Uy 23. Bert Lambot’s 14 did not count.
Manila Golf, powered by Richie Garcia’s 31 points, trails by one point at second. Other scorers for Manila Golf were Arsenic Laurel with 26 points, Dindo Litonsua 25 and Dodo Cu-unsieng 22.
Cebu’s Alta Vista posted 94 points with Dominic Hing and Koichi Horii submitting 23 points each. Jofil Sato and Gene Aznar had 24 apiece, while Antonio Florendo’s 21 did not count.
In the Friendhsip division, Stanford leads with 98 points, followed by San Juanico and Hawaii with 90 points each.
The PAL scoring system that awards one point for bogey, two par, three birdie and so on, those 71s were worth 37 points each to go with Matsumurra’s 36 and Asistio’s 35 to give Southwoods 145.
Action Asia, Airbus, Boeing, GE Aviation, GMA 7, Honda Cars Davao, INQ7.net, Joey 92.3, Royal Caribbean International; Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp., People Asia, Premier Wine & Spirits, Rudy Project, UMBN and Uraya Land Development Corp. are tournament’s major sponsors.
The corporate backers are ABS-CBN International, Fortune Tobacco and Radio Mindanao Network. Completing the list of supporters are 96.3 Wrock, Asia Brewery, Century Park Hotel, Honda Megamotors Corporation, SM City Davao and Tanduay Rhum.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (February 23, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
