THERE is no doubt that both the Fil-Am Invitational and the PAL Interclub are the country’s biggest amateur golf tournaments of equal import.
For a nonprofessional to be absent in either one of them has been deemed a mortal sin. A crime like skipping a visit to your loved one’s grave on All Saints Day.
I don’t get tired heaping praise on the organizers of both events for their adherence to hold their tournaments on dates that are far apart.
It could only mean that each participant is given ample time to prepare for both tournaments, in the process avoiding conflict of scheduling.
Me, too, as I need to put my calendar in order for the year, making it a must-attend tournaments for me since I started covering them many, many years ago. I can’t let go, anymore. It’s become a pilgrimage—almost.
So, hey Andrew Pinero, listen up: I am all set again to cover the 67th Fil-Am set from Nov. 23 to Dec. 10.
And while BCC GM Anthony de Leon has put the Baguio Country Club course in tip-top shape anew, Tim Allen has also done his part in making John Hay battle-ready for the record 230 teams represented by more than 1,200 players from Korea, Japan, Australia and the US set to do battle against our very own.
As usual, San Miguel Corporation is the major sponsor, with Toyota Motor Philippines pledging a record two cars for hole-in-one prizes in both the seniors and men’s regular (here’s a glass to Sherwin ChuaLim, indeed).
Just two months after the Fil-Am, the 70th PAL Interclub is held from Feb. 19 to March 4 in Davao City.
I am sure PAL President Jimmy J. Bautista has a ton of happy surprises again for the participants, the event coming on the heels of the just-concluded PAL Ladies Interclub at John Hay, which was a smash hit, I was told.
Uwaaa! I can’t wait to be in both tournaments.
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David L. Vela, one of my dearest high school classmates, has said goodbye. Succumbing to cancer, Dave left behind his wife Lenny and their two kids, two grandchildren and only happy memories. He was the baritone from my HS band, who could sing my composition, “Moment to Moment,” in its entirety (read: word for word) till the day he died. You will be missed, Pareng Dave.
(alsol47@yahoo.com)