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Thursday, May 25, 2006
Chiongbian: Fun golf with jungolf
By Edgar R. Chiongbian
Teetime
The 2006 Cebu Country Club jungolf summer program officially comes to an end this week. And what would be a fitting ending but the CCC Junior Open that brings other jungolfers to Cebu for the third and final leg of the 2006 Vis-Min Youth Golf Circuit. The 36-hole event started yesterday and ends today.
Of course, the Junior-Senior Classic this Saturday and Sunday will still be the highlight of the program, which pairs most of the juniors with their parents. Before we leave this chapter in the jungolf page of 2006, let us take a peek into the behind the scenes on the four finalists.
Charles Hong, the 2006 jungolf champion is turning 18 next month, so this was his last as a jungolfer. He has shown not only maturity as a person but also in his golf. When he couldn’t join the jungolfers tournament in Del Monte because he was competing in the Men’s final against Jojo Tiongko, Charles took the boat the night after winning the Men’s title and sailed for Cagayan de Oro to bond with the jungolfers, not for golf but for water rafting and fellowship.
CCC jungolf chairman Jovi Neri is very close with Charles because when he was appointed chairman in 2003, he was able to get Charles on the cover of Sun.Star Weekend for winning the junior club championship. In that summer, Jovi accompanied him to the Franke Minoza Jungolf Invitational in Del Monte and witnessed him shoot his first sub-par round of 71. This would be the beginning of their relationship and Charles as a tri-peat champion of jungolf (vacating the throne for one year due to college commitments). Charles has permanently left his mark in jungolf and inspired the jungolfers with whom he has been with.
Big Jan Ybañez, runner-up to Charles, is the most talented among the current crop of juniors but his game went haywire for some reason. His situation was made apparent when he joined a tournament in Manila and shot in the 90s. Jovi, in his role as jungolf chairman, peered into Big Jan’s case and learned that he hasn’t improved because he was under a pressure-cooked training atmosphere. He was switching pros back and forth, took a Manila pro using gadgets to complicate the swing.
He was too busy with the technical aspect and didn’t play tournaments because of heavy training schedule with his swing coach or under the watchful eye of his dad. In short, the fun was taken out of golf for him; he was pressured to improve. After Jovi talked to Big Jan’s dad, they let go the Manila pro and let him have fun with the juniors; playing basketball, water-rafting, playing cards in the locker, lunch-out sessions.
In less than two weeks Big Jan’s game improved, his confidence up and golf was again enjoyable. And the proof was making it to the jungolf finals. He has found the best golf of his life without a golf lesson, just a pep talk to put the fun back in the game and be a happy jungolfer.
Hannah Wong, the Girls club champion, was always overshadowed by big-sister Jyra. To complicate matters, this year she moved up to Class A when she turned 15 and must compete against Jyra and Kathleen Uy. Adding to her problems is the rule that Class A girls must tee off from the white tees; she is not a long hitter and can’t reach most par 4s in two. But with sheer determination she sharpened her short game and has become deadly with her 56-degree Vokey wedge. Last April, she won the ladies and junior monthly medals.
For the first time in her life, she beat Jyra in Del Monte last May and beat CCC Men’s Class B champion Charles Uy in the jungolf version of the Ryder Cup. In the Girls Club Championship semis, she faced Jyra in match play and won. As the heavy underdog against Abby Olea in the finals, she proved her ability to win by taking the match on the first extra hole.
Abby Olea, the runner-up to Hannah, is one of the smallest girls in the club but with her size can wallop big yardage and straight. Abby has a personality that lights up a room and all the juniors love her. She is not lacking in credentials either, she being a golf awardee of the Cebu Sportswriters Association, finished second in a jungolf tournament in Hong Kong two years ago, and as champion in her class in the Vis-Min Youth Golf Circuit last year.
Abby was not planning to play in the Ladies Club Championship this year but after convincing her mom decided to play. Abby crammed a little practice and made it to the finals. At 12-years-old, Abby is not only the future of Cebu golf but also the future of Philippine golf as long as she doesn’t fall into the trap of losing the fun and innocence that made her good.
Golf Tip: The impulse to swing hard is very common when you need to hit a long drive. And the consequence is that your rhythm is affected and solid contact becomes less likely causing a much shorter distance than your usual drive.
Instead of swinging hard, make a slow, full backswing and think of a smooth motion from the top as you start down. Your weight should shift to your left leg while your torso and arms stay stretched back, ready to sling the clubhead through the ball.
The main idea is to hold or maintain the body coil created on the backswing for as long as possible on the downswing to get that power you are looking for.
(erc@kyinet.net)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 25, 2006 issue)
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