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Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Changing of the guard at PAL Inter-Club
BACOLOD CITY -- The changing of the guard is unfolding at the Philippine Airlines Interclub.
While golfers of all abilities prepare to do battle for the centerpiece event of the country's most popular annual golf festival, the warriors of yesteryears are licking the wounds of combat from the just concluded PAL Seniors Interclub.
It was not too long ago that the seniors of today were the mainstays of the championship clubs that dominated the regular men's event. Luisita, for example, scored its sixth straight seniors title on Sunday powered by the nucleus of the same Luisita squad that scored five titles from 1991 to 1998.
Members of this year's Luisita seniors champion team included the top guns of the most dominant regular men's club in the 90s. They include Francis Gaston, Carlo Gamban, Iggy Clavecilla and Richie Garcia.
Last year, Canlubang, which built a dynasty from the squad that scored a Cinderella victory in 1977, saw its title streak broken at four by Del Monte, which won its first ever title in home turf in Cagayan de Oro City with a lineup powered by the younger brothers of the illustrious Frankie Minoza, himself an Interclub veteran.
The changing of the guard was a long time coming, says Tommy Manotoc, who on Sunday won top individual honors in the seniors event for the second time in as many years. He became eligible for the 55-and-above category last year.
"It's not good for golf development for a 56-year old like me to be still competing at that level in the regular men's event," Manotoc said. That's the reason Manotoc agonized over a decision to skip the regular men's interclub and give his slot to younger players.
The evergreen Manotoc still has what it takes to compete and help his club to another championship in the regular event. For sure, there have been other sterling performers of the Interclub, like the great Luis "Golem" Silvero and Frankie Minoza. But Manotoc is perhaps the steadiest, most prolific and most enduring player in the PAL Interclub in the past four decades.
He started playing in the event 40 years ago as a 16-year old youngster from Wack Wack. He missed the Interclub only when he had to go on exile from 1986 to 1991.
Until last Monday, a day after his individual triumph in the seniors, he was still on the roster of Canlubang and the only player left from the original lineup that won in 1977.
Manotoc and his rivals had survived the emergence of youngsters who first challenged the domination of Luisita and Canlubang in the last three decades.
Carito Villaroman, Ramon Brobio, Junjun Plana and Bong Lopez made up the squad that powered Aguinaldo to three straight victories from 1988. The Youth revolution was engineered by then Aguinaldo Club manager Buddy Resurreccion, now the PAL Interclubs' top technical man, and Benny Gopez, now president of the National Golf Association of the Philippines.
But most of the Aguinaldo youngsters have since turned professional with Lopez acquiring the reputation as the country's top teaching professional with his work on Jennifer Rosales, recent winner in the LPGA Tour.
The PAL Interclub is the kind of team competition that young players need to be exposed to if they are to prepare and aspire for the national team, says Manotoc, who has devoted most of his of time since last year to golf development.
"Young players will mature in this kind of competition," he said of his decision on Monday to quit the regular men's competition "And it will only stifle golf development if I deprive them of the chance to compete here."
Already in the wings and ready to take over where he left off is Manotoc's own son, Matthew. At 16 and already a veteran of two Interclubs and several international junior tournaments, Matthew is still nowhere near his father's skills and record at the Interclub.
Matthew will be contending with the next generation of players, including the Minoza brothers of Del Monte, and the youngsters of Southwoods, who have yet to duplicate their 1999 victory despite being touted as perennial top contenders since the club launched its own youth program.
Soon the youngsters will dominate the regular men's Interclub. There will be no stopping the changing of the guard in the PAL Interclub and no one will be happier watching from the sidelines than Tommy Manotoc.
(March 2, 2005 issue)
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