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JENNIFER
ROSALES will not see action but Dorothy Delasin will in
the $3.1-million 2007 US Women’s Open which starts today
at the Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern
Pines,
North Carolina.
Delasin
tees off in the afternoon of the tournament that is not
part of the regular Ladies Professional Golf Association
Tour schedule.
On hand
to cheer Delasin are Dottie Ardina, Cyna Rodriguez,
Bambee de la Paz, Sunshine Baraquiel, Katya de la Cruz
and Chihiro Ikeda, who are all competing in the Callaway
Junior World early next month.
National
team coach Bong Lopez with assistant Nester Mendoza and
Chris Guerrero arranged the side trip for the Junior
World bets for them to get up close with Annika
Sorenstam, Natalia Gulbis, Paula Creamer and Michelle
Wie, among others.
Rosales
will skip the event because her left-wrist injury
recurred.
Inspirational words
JUNIOR
Golf Foundation of the Philippines (JGFP) president Sam
Pagdanganan provided some words of inspiration to the
country’s bets to the Callaway Golf Junior World Golf
Championships slated from July 16 to 20 in San Diego,
California, during a recent sendoff party.
“Reach
for the top, go for your dreams, and bring home the
crown. You are the future stars. Do your country
proud,” Pagdanganan told the young golfers.
The
young bets were able to meet the new board of directors
of the JGFP and the sponsors of their trip, including
Philippine Airlines president Jaime Bautista and
Callaway exclusive distributor Electorus representative
Glen Baroma.
Pascual-Rufino pair triumph
ODY
PASCUAL and guest partner Rufino Bayron played
consistently despite the unpredictable weather to
capture overall low gross honors in the Invitational
tournament of the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country
Club in Carmona, Cavite.
Teaming
up for the first time, Pascual and Bayron combined for
75 in the first day at the Masters, then matched par
with another 75 at the Legends to beat more than 200
two-man teams that competed in the 36-hole competition
spread over four days.
Richie
Santos and Allan Yap clinched the overall net title with
two 82s for 164 in the event sponsored by CJH
Development Co., Club Leisure, Golforce, Shangri-La
Hotels, Manila Jockey Club, MRT, Pisanti, Warbird,
Golden Enterprises, Golden Oats and Mejore.
Beachie
Abiera and Lin Mangulabnan topped the Ladies’ Group A
with 159 (81-78). Other winners were Rio Co-Marilen
Bantug 159 (78-81) in Group B, Rey de la Cruz-Patrick
Tee 164 (82-82) in Group C and Johnson Caballero-Dante
Felizarta 160 (79-81).
Hermes
Ochoa felt like a champion as he won a Mitsubishi Lancer
GLX, the top prize in the Rio Festival-inspired awarding
ceremony.
Jose Roy
claimed the next major prize–a Royal Caribbean Mexican
Riviera cruise with Korean Air business-class tickets
for two. Socorro James received an El Nido vacation
package for two with airfare while Mario Naval brought
home an SYM 100 Motorbike.
Fed
League tomorrow
TAGAYTAY
Highlands steps into Manila Southwoods’s course when
they meet in the Federation of Golf Clubs League
tomorrow in Carmona, Cavite.
What’s
interesting in tomorrow’s duel is that seven members of
Southwoods’s team now play for Tagaytay Highlands, an
aftermath of the controversial The Club Championship
between Marty Ilagan and Benjie Sarmiento two months
back.
The
“mass resignation” of the players stemmed from the
controversial handshake by Sarmiento to Ilagan.
Sarmiento offered the co-championship trophy to Ilagan
through that handshake after No. 22 of the 36-hole
competition with the former enjoying a one-up lead.
However,
a handshake does not apply in match play rules so a
resumption of the game was ordered. Instead of a smooth
transition, people got so engrossed with the situation
which eventually led to a heated exchange of accusations
and the ouster of then Southwoods’ golf director Butch
Brodett.
So come
this weekend, a lot of pride and bragging rights will be
at stake. It is highly probable that Ilagan and six of
his closest friends, who sided with him during the
mix-up, will take on the new look Southwoods squad with
vengeance written all over their faces. |
