feb-march impact 2015 -issue

2 February/March 2015

My Facebook timeline has been riddled with so many invita-tions to tournaments left and right. There are the regular fund raisers, the member-guests, the celebratory/thanks-giving tournaments, the invitationals and the national tour-

naments. I guess social media have made it much easier to reach out to all golfers.

Tournaments a plenty are a sign of a good economy. It means people have extra disposable income to spend on such activities that

Tournaments Are A Plenty

Edgar Joselito S. Arceo Jr.

may net them either a handsome trophy or an interesting raffle prize. Imagine having to invest PHP 7,500.00 (e.g. Orchard Founders) for eight chances to win a car via a hole-in-one and an extra chance to win another via a raffle draw. That is probably the paramount reason why member-guests have a long waiting list.

If you think it’s a far off thing to happen, please think again. After almost a 20-year wait, I scored my very first hole-in-one during the 2013 Mango Tee in Alabang. It came with a car and a golf cart. So, there you go. Dreams do come true. Just keep on swinging and trying. It will eventually happen.

Our national players are also the beneficiary of increased tournaments. The MVP Sports Foundation has been funding the NGAP to run tournaments all year round and in all regions. This is what our national players badly need. Now that they have these tournaments to compete in at hand, it will only be a matter of time that a new Pagunsan, Tabuena, Que or Minoza come out of the ranks.

On the other hand, there have been unfortunate cases of cheating during tournaments. I was informed that another one of which happened during the Fil-Am tournament in Baguio. The rules officials reported to me that the player altered his scorecard and vehemently denied doing so after being asked and con-fronted about it. He and his team were eventually disqualified and banned from the tournament.

Let us all continue supporting tournaments, may they be a small or a big one. It will always be a win-win situation for all parties. One will never know if their first hole-in-one will come with a car. So keep on trying!

Edgar Joselito S. Arceo Jr.Editor-in-Chief

Carlo Ma. GuerreroManaging Editor

Bella Angela SorianoCopy Editor

Andrew Ma. GuerreroSenior Designer

Jan Wendy UyEditorial Assistant

Contributors Kyi Hla Han, Reggie Nolido, Simon Villalon,

Daniel Sais, Paolo Santos, Pepot Iñigo, Redgie Cinco, Reg Hernandez

Manuelito Romano

Matt MontoyaAutomotive Special Correspondent

Special Thanks

Chuah Choo Chiang, Media Director - Asian TourDoyle De Costa, Media Officer - Asian Tour

Calvin Koh, Communications Manager of Asian Tour

Guerrero Creative Enterprise

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EDITOR’S NOTE


GOLF

Tournaments Are A Plenty 2Jun discusses the surge in the number of tournaments

Is the Model of the Exclusive Golf 6 Club a Thing of the Past?The reality is that golf clubs now have to embrace a different amind set of allowing more foot traffic to meet rising needs rather than just relying on membership dues

Play What You Play 8Tournaments for fun or for keeps?

Bring on the New Season 10Kyi Hla Han talks about what to expect this coming golf season

Winning Reflections with Rashid Khan 12Rashid Khan talks about his memorable win at the beautiful Alpine Golf Resort Changmai

Winning Reflections with David Lipsky 14David Lipsky talks about his victory at the Crans Sur Sierere Golf Club in Switzerland

Winning Edge with Nicholas Fung 16Nicholas Fung shows us the key elements to hitting a hook shotwhen you need to get out of trouble

Winning Edge with Lin Wen-tang 18Lin Wen-tang gives you a simple guide on how to execute a successful up-and-down

The Rules of Golf - Clubs 20NGAP touches on the rules pertaining to clubs

Bidding Bye Bye with a Bang 22 What Jobim Carlos did in the Philippine Amateur Championships may very well be the closest thing to a walk-off as you'll ever see

Resorts World Manila Masters 2014 26 Mardan Mamat of Singapore dominates the Resorts World ManilaMasters 2014

Titleist 915 Metals Launch 28Titleist launches their new line of metals at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club

The Ultimate Playground 32A second look at the tour of the Links of Scotland

Luisita Golf & Country Club: An Ounce 40of History; A Pound of TraditionRedgie Cinco's storied "walk across the clouds" in Luisita Golf and Country Club

Are You Ready for Your Next Golf 48TournamentLet Dan show you how to get ready for the next big tournament

Tournaments 52Pepot talks about tournaments to end 2014 and start 2015

LIFESTYLE

Summer Collection 54Here are some summer fashion ideas from Callaway and Loro

News + 57Golf news, press releases, and more

19TH HOLE 60Tournaments, events, and people

CONTENTSTABLE OF


Golf did not start out as a game of the rich and powerful. Truth be told, golf was born out of necessity, i.e. the need for shepherds from long ago to do something other than stare at sheep

to keep their sanity. With a vast piece of land right in front of them, these first duffers took their crooked sticks and bet with other shepherds as to who can hit a piece of stone farthest. I can imagine some poor guy who could not blast the stone with as much prodigiousness as his mates bet instead as to who can hit a tree with more accuracy. Soon enough the rules of the game developed and grew and be-fore long golf as we know it was born.

The reality is that golf needs land. Despite the increas-ing number of establishments offering simulated golf, noth-ing beats walking out into the sunshine staring at a sea of green pockmarked by bunkers, cut through by streams, defined by the contours of the land. With the need for land, comes the need to reserve such land exclusively for golf. Several centuries ago, courses like Saint Andrews actu-ally doubled as municipal parks on weekends, thus halting play for the golfing public. It would not be a stretch to think that some entrepreneurial soul decided that he could use his land simply for golf and to maintain it, invites his friends to use the property exclusively for a fee, thus allowing the game to be played all seven days of the week. Land, of course, is owned by the rich and powerful. Soon, only the rich and powerful had the wherewithal to play this royal and ancient game to the exclusion of many. I suppose, this was how the golf club was born.

The problem with this economic model however, is that as costs of maintenance grew, the need of more per-sons seeking the exclusivity of a golf course grew as well. Well and good if the economy is so dynamic as to produce persons with enough disposable income to pay exorbitant maintenance fees to keep the gates of these playgrounds reasonably closed. But the reality is that in the Philippines, the economy while growing does not necessarily translate into a growing populace prepared to embrace the game. Nowadays, golf is no longer as attractive an option for rec-reation of the upwardly mobile next generation. Their op-portunity to indulge in other activities is readily available. With the apparent dwindling of golfers, the population that supports golf clubs is dwindling as well.

In an article written by Michael Buteau dated January 17, 2014 in businessweek.com, he reported that, “More golf courses closed than opened in the U.S. in 2013 for the eighth straight year, according to the National Golf Foundation.” In recent years in the Philippines we have likewise seen the closure of some courses and their redevelopment for other uses. The fate of some courses is likewise in limbo such as the famed Zamboanga Golf Club, which is the second

Is the Model of the Exclusive Golf Club a Thing of the Past?

oldest golf course in the country. Presently, it sees around 15 rounds of golf a day, which is hardly enough to sustain its maintenance. With less golfers willing to pay monthly dues for the exclusive right to play a course, it begs the question, are the days of the exclusive golf clubs numbered?

The evidence seems to suggest such fact. Check out the prices of golf shares in recent years. Despite the tremendous growth of the economy, the price per share of golf clubs has scarcely moved. In fact, in many cases, prices have even dipped. Those pointing to Wack Wack and Manila Golf are only pointing to a very small portion of the golfing populace who would be willing to pay anything for the right to be members of these ultra rich clubs. But for the most part, golfers no longer want to be tied to clubs and pay the dues that go with it.

Further, the number of golf courses open to the public is likewise rising. Interesting models like South Links and Sun Valley, courses immaculately maintained but open to the public, seem to be getting some traction. Valley Golf has basically opened its North Course to the public and of course, the military courses are still there. In Eastridge, they offer rights to play at a very reasonable P10,000 per year plus dues of P4,000 monthly. This allows the club to attract a big number of players who do not want the life-long commitment of a lifetime membership but are willing to fork over a small joining fee. This assured the club suf-ficient membership dues to keep the operations going and foot traffic rose. Of course, critics of this system have railed that this has caused the price of Eastridge shares to remain stagnant since the demand for said proprietary shares is close to nil.

As for Orchard, they were the first to finally offer re-duced rates for jungolfers, with the altruistic reason of al-lowing our jungolfers a venue to hone their craft. Economi-cally speaking though, this made sense as with more kids playing, there will be more spending for food and drinks and use of facilities. Any cash flow concerns of Orchard would be augmented.

The reality is that golf clubs now have to embrace a different mind set of allowing more foot traffic to meet rising needs rather than just relying on membership dues. With-out compromising the rights of members, these clubs have to find ways to get their tills clicking and the money coming in. The cost of maintaining golf courses is not going to go down so the need for more revenue sources has to go up. It appears high time that more traditional golf courses re-view their revenue models and see what would get people coming in rather than focus on what would keep people out. The days of exclusivity may not be completely gone but I am willing to bet it is on life support. The reality is just too much to handle.

THE DUFFERby Reggie Nolido


I have written many times about how much I enjoy tour-nament play for golf – it reminds me of days gone by where I would don team colors and march onto court, field, or track, ready to give my best against worthy

competitors. It’s an exhilarating, adrenaline pumping, heart-thumping experience for me. But should it be so? In our broad golfing community I propose that there is a place for the golfers who wish to brandish clubs like swords and scorecards like knives, as well as a wel-come spot for the golfer who enjoys the atmosphere of a big tournament and the camaraderie the event brings.

If you asked me two years ago, I would have firm-ly placed myself in the group of “tournament junkies, hardcore edition”. I loved getting all serious for tourna-ments, reveling in the whole take-no-prisoners-you-are-not-my-friend mentality of tournament play. It was fun, it was a rush. I would show up at the tournament venue with a singular thought in my mind – play as best as I could and walk out a winner. Sure I was competing in the highest handicap class because my game is actu-ally very pedestrian, but I was determined to be the best of the hacks in the field. Normally I would play a couple of times during the week leading up to the tournament, enough to get a good feel of my short game and a nice rhythm to my swing. My golf psychology books would get dusted off two weeks before the tournament, and I’d review key course management thoughts to keep in mind while I play. Would I win? Sometimes. More often times I would not. But the fun was in the build-up to the tournament. Where I could savor in the possibility of glory and the anticipated reward my preparation was going to bring me. It was a little golf fantasy novel, and I was the author of my destiny.

Things change though. The past couple of years have been more demanding and my golf game is woefully ignored because of one professional (or personal) com-mitment or another. Nowadays, my pre-tournament prep-aration largely consists of browsing through golf stores to pick up a shirt to wear or to grab a set of tees/golf balls/socks/shoes to replace the ones that have gone bad or missing due to neglect. Instead of honing my game on the course a week before the big day, it’s dry swinging on my carpet the night before tournament day. Instead of course strategy and golf psychology, it’s making sure that I haven’t left anything out of my golf bag because it has been in storage for so long. What a change two years makes. And while I miss the preparations leading up to tournaments, I still enjoy tournament days. I now enjoy the drive to the tournament venues, either sipping a cof-fee by myself in the car, or laughing loudly with carpool mates as we navigate our way to the course. I make it a point to smile, to encourage my flight mates, to savor the experience of a well-planned tournament. Or to simply enjoy the time out on the course that I normally would not have had the opportunity to enjoy. Heck, it’s because of this frame of mind that I was able to laugh at myself for driving an hour-and-a-half to a tournament only to realize that I had forgotten my golf set at home!

So as tournament season gets swinging, I propose that there is a place for both the serious tournament player and for those seriously having fun. I know I enjoy doing both.

Swing your swing!

Have a comment to pitch back? Drop me a note at [email protected]

Play What You PlayTHE TARGET LINE

by Simon Villalon

Mardan Mamat


Kyi Hla Han is the Executive Chairman

of the Asian Tour

10

IThe Asian Tour prides itself with its young and fear-less stars.

Every season, we’ve witnessed new talents emerging on our Tour and many have gone on to en-

joy great careers even before turning 30!Take for example Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Noh

Seung-yul, who have both won the prestigious Order of Merit crowns at young ages and continue to do well on the international stage.

But for the younger golfers to step up and have the confidence to play well, they need to have someone to look up to.

Thongchai Jaidee, Thaworn Wiratchant and Boon-chu Ruangkit are three players whom have been great motivation for the younger generation of golfers.

But if you dwell deeper into the Asian Tour, you will notice that there are many other experienced players including Mardan Mamat and Jyoti Randhawa who are still highly respected among their peers.

Mardan recently won his fourth Asian Tour title at

No Age Restriction the Resorts World Manila Masters presented by 918.com in November to end a two-year title drought and it was a huge relief for the Singaporean, who prior to the win, was battling to save his Tour card.

The Singaporean veteran, who most players call ‘Pakcik’, which means uncle in Malay, has utmost re-spect from his peers. Asian Development Tour regular Arie Irawan of Malaysia is one player who Mardan has helped.

“Mardan has really helped me improve. When I play practice rounds with him, he will encourage me and help me with my game. It really helps when you have someone like Mardan giving you advice,” said Arie.

When you look at the success of Anirban Lahiri and Rashid Khan, it immediately reminds you of the time when Jeev Milkha Singh and Arjun Atwal were playing on the Asian Tour.

Singh, Atwal and Randhawa crafted colourful re-sumes in Asia, Europe and the United States which gave the younger boys a reason to dream big.

Now Lahiri is a 27-year-old star with five Asian Tour titles under his belt while Khan recently claimed his second title on the region’s premier Tour by winning the Chi-angmai Golf Classic presented by PTT against a stellar field that included Ma-jor winners Charl Schwartzel and Ja-son Dufner.

This is one of the reasons why golf is so interest-ing and exciting on the Asian Tour be-cause you can play the game at a young or older age. And if you thought that older golfers are boring, well think about Miguel Angel Jimenez, Team Eu-rope’s EurAsia Cup captain!

KYI HLA HAN

David Lipsky and Anirban Lahiri

11

As for me, well I do miss the adrenaline rush on the golf course but I’m more than happy to lead our management team to raise the Asian Tour’s profile onto a higher pedestal.

* * *

Bring On The New Season!For the second straight season, we welcomed an

Asian Tour number one who is still in his 20s. David Lipsky’s 2014 Order of Merit triumph ended an

exhilarating season where he was challenged by a battling Anirban Lahiri, who never relented until the prestigious tro-phy was handed to the Korean-American at the Thailand Golf Championship, which was our penultimate event of the season.

Lipsky aged 26 and Lahiri a year older, are two tal-ented players who are tipped to be mega Asian Tour stars and it was gratifying to see these two young and hungry players fighting it out for Asia’s top prize.

The future of the Asian Tour certainly looks bright if you throw in Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Thanyakon Khrong-pha, Cameron Smith, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Miguel Tabuena, Nicholas Fung, Jazz Janewattanond, Mithun Perera and Rashid Khan into the mix of talented players on our Tour.

India’s first PGA TOUR winner Arjun Atwal, who won the inaugural Dubai Open, even predicted that Lahiri and Khan might win a Major in the future!

“Think these guys can go as far as they want. They can play on the PGA Tour, win on the PGA Tour and why not the Majors,” said Atwal.

Every year, our members make headlines around the world and the 2014 season was no different. Lipsky wrote a slice of history when he became the first Asian Tour member to win the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.

Earlier in 2014, a charismatic Thongchai Jai-dee led Team Asia to a dramatic 10-10 tie against Miguel Angel Jimenez’s Team Europe at the in-augural EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM.

Thongchai continues to set the benchmark where he also won in Sweden and finished 2014 in 37th place in the world rankings, an achieve-ment which we are very proud of.

Lahiri, who was part of Team Asia, won his first title outside of India when he stylishly won the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters before go-ing on to defeat Scott Hend in an exciting duel at the Venetian Macau Open, a week after the Australian secured his sixth Asian Tour victory at the Hong Kong Open.

We also welcomed three first time champions in Richard T. Lee, Steve Lewton and Khan, who triumphed at the Solaire Open in the Philippines, Mercuries Taiwan Masters and SAIL-SBI Open in India respectively. Khan went on to secure a thrilling win at the Chiangmai Golf Classic presented by PTT.

Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, a two-time Order of Merit champion, extended his winning record to 18 Tour victories when he completed a Royal double by winning the Queen’s and King’s Cup.

Marcus Both, Prom Meesawat, Chapchai Nirat and S.S.P. Chowrasia ended their title droughts by grab-bing memorable victories at the ICTSI Philippine Open, Yeangder Tournament Players Championship, World-wide Holdings Selangor Masters and Panasonic Open India.

In 2014, we also witnessed a new breed of fear-less stars including Cameron Smith of Australia, who finished fifth on the Order of Merit thanks to seven top-10 results and without missing a single cut.

Thanyakon also showed his prowess when he chal-lenged Khan for the Chiangmai title and produced a gutsy performance at the BANK BRI Indonesia Open before losing to Padraig Harrington of Ireland.

Smith and Thanyakon continue their search for a first Asian Tour win but their results in 2014 is certainly a sign of better things to come in their fledging careers.

After looking at what our members have achieved in 2014, I can’t wait for the new season to start!


Rashid Khan produced a gutsy performance at the Chiangmai Golf Classic presented by PTT to win his second Asian Tour ti-tle in 2014.

Trailing overnight leader Thanyakon Khrongpha of Thai-land by two shots, the talent-ed Indian rallied on the back nine to claim his first win out-side of India at the US$750,000 Asian Tour event.

In this Winning Reflec-tion column, the 23-year-old talks about his memorable win at the beautiful Alpine Golf Resort Chiangmai.

By Rashid Khan

WINNING REFLECTIONS

13

This win is really special because it is my second win this year and first outside of India. It was a really good week. We (Thanyakon Khrongpha) were going

head-to-head and we treated it like match-play tournament. It was very exciting. He had a two-shot lead and he was three shots ahead after a birdie on the first hole.

I recovered very nicely on the back nine. I played good golf on the back nine. I was confi-dent with my game and I played very well on the back nine for three days. So heading on the last few holes, I was very confident I could win the tournament.

The turning point was on the 15th hole. I found the bunker there. I had a shot but it was a tight line. I hit it to about 15-feet and holed that putt. It was very important because I only had a one-shot lead going into the 18th hole.

That par gave me a bit of a boost because I needed to maintain my one-shot lead. The last three holes were very exciting! I was looking at the leaderboard and everyone was making a move. But I was focussed on my game.

I’m learning every single day. I’m playing on different courses on the Asian Tour. I played on this golf course last year and missed the cut by one shot. I played more golf courses for the first time on the Asian Tour and I learnt a lot from there. That experience really helped.

I played this course like my home course (Delhi Golf Club). I just tried to find the fairways and hit it as straight as I can. I’m very calm on the course now after working with a mental coach in India for a month.

She (Aparna Jain) told me that I’m too ag-gressive on the golf course and that I need to be calm and play easy. She said I shouldn’t put pressure on myself. It is a four-day tournament and I should take it step-by-step.

I’ve seen a lot of players working with men-tal coaches and they seem to be doing well. And my problem is only in my head. I have to focus more on the course.

David Lipsky of the United States became the first player from the Asian Tour to win the Omega Euro-pean Masters when he defeated England’s Graeme Storm to the title on the first play-off hole.

It was the Korean-American’s second Asian Tour win and his biggest career victory to date. The triumph also propelled him to the top of the Order of Merit, a position which he hopes to hold on to until the end of the 2014 season.

In this latest series of My Winning Reflection, Lipsky talks about his remarkable victory and how special it is to win at the beautiful Crans Sur Sierre Golf Club in Switzer-land.

By David Lipsky


WINNING REFLECTIONS

15

WINNING REFLECTIONS It was my third time playing at the Omega European Masters and I really enjoy com-ing back all the time. Winning there is defi-nitely a very special feeling.

I played in Europe in the last three weeks before winning and I was in good form. I’m just happy I was able to put it all together and win.

My first Asian Tour victory was in Cam-bodia and I was in a play-off as well. I’m like a play-off specialist now! Graeme played well in the final round but the difference was I was able to see it through on the last hole.

My first play-off win in Cambodia gave me a lot of confidence and I’m glad I brought that along with me in the final round.

The play-off hole (18) is a really difficult hole. The tee shot was really hard because you got to work your ball from right to left. I

thought I hit a great shot but it landed in the bunker and I had to play it out to give myself a chance and the opportunity to win on the last hole.

It was a tough shot with the water close by and it was a hard shot to hit. I was confi-dent enough in my short game to give myself a chance to get up and down and maybe push it to an extra play-off hole or even a win.

I thought Graeme could have got up-and-down and I didn’t want to shoot myself in the foot and put it in the water. I’m glad things worked out the way it did because this win gives me the opportunity to win the Or-der of Merit.

Winning the Order of Merit was one of my goals when I started out the year and to be in the position that I’m right now, I’m defi-nitely looking forward to the rest of the sea-son both in Europe and in Asia.

The Asian Tour has done a lot of things in my career. I started out on the Asian Tour and I won. It has really developed me as a player and I’m still looking forward to playing out in Asia. With my status on the European Tour, I just have to think about my schedule a little bit more.

It is a nice sum of money to win but I’ve got lots of loans to pay off. There’s my study loan and car loan so it’s timely I’ve got a nice pay cheque!


In this latest segment of golf tips from the Asian Tour Academy, Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung shows us the key elements to hitting a hook shot when you need to get out of trouble.

WINNING EDGEwith NICHOLAS FUNG

Sometimes, we need to shape our golf shots during a round to get out of trouble. In this segment, I’ll show you what are the key thoughts when I need to hit a hook shot.

Picture 1As you can see, my approach shot

into the green here is blocked by some overhanging branches. This would certainly require a hook shot to get the ball to go around the trees and onto the green.

Picture 2 and 3One of the main keys for this shot which isn’t too difficult is to ensure that you align your

feet and shoulders towards the right of the intended target. However, the clubface should still be aimed towards the target when you want your ball to land.

17

WINNING EDGEwith NICHOLAS FUNG By Nicholas Fung

About Fung

Country: MalaysiaDate of Birth: May 18, 1990Residence: MalaysiaFamily: SingleTurned pro: 2010Twitter Handle: @nickyfung

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT TOUR WIN: (1) 2013 PGM-UMW Templer Park Masters, Malaysia.

PRO WINS: (8) 2010 ASEAN PGA Vietnam Masters, 2011 PGM Sabah Classic, 2011 PGM Sarawak Classic, 2012 PGM Negeri Sembilan Classic, 2012 PGM UMW Glenmarie Classic, Malaysia, 2012 ASEAN PGA Palembang MUSI Championship, Indonesia, 2013 I&P Group Championship, Malaysia, 2014 Kelantan Closed Championship.

AMATEUR WINS: (4) 2006 Brunei Amateur, 2007 Vietnam Amateur, Kelantan Amateur 2008, SEA Games 2008 – Individual,4th place.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Nicholas enjoyed a season to remember in 2013, winning the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit thanks to one victory and three runner-up finishes. He also finished fifth at the Resorts World Manila Masters and runner-up at the Indonesia Open to earn his full Asian Tour card. Also rose from 1,428th in the world rankings to 239th at the end of the season. Thanks to his good run, Nicholas was picked as a captain’s wild card for the 2014 EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM by Thongchai Jaidee. Has also been the Malaysian number one through his Order of Merit success on the PGM Tour in 2012 and 2013.

PERSONAL: Learned the game through his father’s influence and eventually became a national team golfer for Malaysia. Said playing golf professionally was the only thing that he wanted to do as a youngster.

TEAMS: 2014 EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM.

Picture 4 and 5Ensure you make a full shoulder turn on this shot and the back swing is essentially the

same as you would hit a regular iron shot. However, upon impact and for the follow through, you will need ensure your clubface must not be square of the target. Upon impact, you should be closing or rolling your clubface to create a hook action.

Give it a go at the practice bunker and I hope you get the desired result.


WINNING EDGEwith LIN WEN-TANG Saving pars in Asian Tour events is as vital as shooting birdies or eagles. There are times when you have to keep the momentum going by ensuring you scramble for a par whenever you miss the green in regulation.

Obviously every professional golfer would prefer to stay out of trouble over 72 holes but that is never the case considering how tough golf

Step 1 – ChippingMaintain a relaxed grip to ensure that

you do not use too much strength. Always remember to keep your club face open to create some spin on your ball.

Step 2 – All in the hipsWhen you hit the ball, you should turn

your hips. Do not use your hands to create impact as that will cause you to mishit or misjudge the weight of your shot.

Step 3 – FinishingWhen you finish your swing, your club

should be slightly aligned with your hips.

19

WINNING EDGEwith LIN WEN-TANG By Lin Wen-tang

courses are set-up for Asian Tour events. Hence, getting an-up-down to save a par is crucial for professionals and amateur golfers. Let me give you a simple guide on how

to execute a successful up-and-down.

Step 4 – On the greenI keep my weight balance (50% on each

feet) when I’m setting up to putt.

Step 5 – Relaxed gripAgain, it is very important to have a

relaxed but firm grip. Notice in this photo how I do not clench my grip into a fist? Keep your fingers relaxed.

Step 6 – Putter faceI always aim to hit the ball slightly higher

instead of hitting it in the middle. I do this to have more speed on the ball when I’m on the green. After hitting the ball, your putter should finish in the same position as your putting line.

About Lin

Country: Chinese TaipeiDate of Birth: June 28, 1974Residence: TaipeiFamily: Married, 2 childrenTurned pro: 1996

ASIAN TOUR VICTORIES: (6) 2006 Taiwan Open, 2007 Brunei Open, 2008 Asian Tour International,

Thailand, 2008 UBS Hong Kong Open, 2009 Mercuries Taiwan Masters, 2013 Solaire Open, Philippines.

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT TOUR WIN: (2) 2010 and 2014 Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship.

PROFESSIONAL WINS: (4) 1998 Hsin Fong Open, Taipei, 2004 ROC PGA Championship, 2013 & 2014 Yung Chi Rainbow Paint Open in Kaohsiung

Prepared and Compiled byMr. Carlos Coscolluela, President (NGAP)

The Rules of GolfCLUBS

4-1 Form and Make of Clubs4-1a. GeneralThe player’s clubs must conform with this Rule and the provisions, specifications and interpretations set forth in Appendix II.

NOTEThe committee may require, in the conditions of a competition, that any driver the player carries must have a clubhead, identified by mod-el and loft, that is named on the current List of Conforming Driver Heads issued by the R&A.

NON-CONFORMING CLUB CARRIED BUT NOT USEDThe penalty for carrying, but not making a stroke with, a non-con-forming club is detailed in 4-1 and 4-2. The player is only disqualified if he makes a stroke with a non-conforming club. This “chipper” is non-conforming as it has more than one striking face.

4-1b. Wear and AlterationA club that conforms with the Rules when new is deemed to con-form after wear through normal use. Any part of a club that has been purposely altered is regarded as new and must, in its altered state, conform with the Rules.

4-2 Playing Characteristics Changed and Foreign Material 4-2a. Playing Characteristics ChangedDuring a stipulated round, the playing characteristics of a club must not purposely changed by adjustment or by any other means.

4-2b. Foreign MaterialForeign material must not be applied to the club face for the purpose of influencing the movement of the ball.

PENALTYFor carrying, but not making stroke with, club or clubs in breach of Rule 4-1 or 4-2;

Match play- At the conclusion of the hole at which the breach is discovered, the state of the match is adjusted by deducting one hole for each hole at which a breach occurred; maximum deduction per round- Two holes.Stroke play- Two strokes for each hole at which any breach oc-curred; maximum penalty per round- Four strokes (two strokes at each of the first two holes at which any breach occurred.)

Match play or stroke play- If a breach is discovered between the play of two holes, it is deemed to have been discovered during play of the next hole, and the penalty must be applied accordingly.Bogey and par competitions- See Note 1 Stableford competitions- See Note 1*Any club or clubs carried in breach of Rule 4-1 or 4-2 must be declared out of play by the player to his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play immediately upon discovery that a breach has occurred. If the player fails to do so, he is disqualified.

PENALTYFor making stroke with club in breach of Rule 4-1 or 4-2:Disqualification.

4-3 Damaged Clubs: Repair and Replacement4-3a. Damage in Normal Course of PlayIf, during a stipulated round, a player’s club is damaged in the normal course of play, he may:

(i) use the club in its damaged state for the remainder or the stipulated round; or(ii) without unduly delaying play, repair it or have it repaired; or(iii) as an additional option available only if the club is unfit for play, replace the damaged club with any club. The replacement of a club must not unduly delay play and must not be made by borrowing any club selected for play by any other person playing on the course or by assembling components carried by or for the player during the stipulated round.

BREACH OF FOURTEEN I’ve just realized I have 15 clubs in my bag. I’ll declare my 2-iron

out of play, but what is the score in our match?As we are on the 4th tee and I was already two up, the two-hole

penalty applies to the match score, and I am now four up.

PENALTYFor breach of Rule 4-3a:See Penalty Statement for Rule 4-4a or b, and Rule 4-4c.

NOTEA club is unfit if it is substantially damaged, e.g. the shaft is dented, significantly bent or breaks into pieces; the clubhead becomes loose,


detached or significantly deformed; or the grip becomes loose. A club is not unfit for play solely because the club’s lie or loft has been altered, or the clubhead is scratched.

4-3b. Damage Other Than in Normal Course PlayIf, during a stipulated round, a player’s club is damaged other than in the normal course of play rendering it non-conforming or changing its playing characteristics, the club must not subsequently be used or replaced during the round.

PENALTYFor breach of Rule 4-3b:Diqualification.

4-3c. Damage Prior to RoundA player may use a club damaged prior to a round, provided the

club, in its damaged state, conforms with the Rules.Damage to a club that occurred prior to a round may be re-

paired during the round, provided the playing characteristics are not changed and play is not unduly delayed.

PENALTYFor breach of Rule 4-3c:See penalty statement for Rule 4-1 or 4-2.(Undue delay- see Rule 6-7)

4-4 Maximum of Fourteen Clubs4-4a. Selection and Addition of ClubsThe player must not start a stipulated round with more than fourteen clubs. He is limited to the clubs thus selected for that round except that, if he started with fewer than fourteen clubs, he may add any number, provided his total number does not exceed fourteen.

The addition of a club or clubs must not unduly delay play and the player must not add or borrow any club selected for play by any other person playing on the course or by assembling components carried by or for the player during the stipulated round.

4-4b. Partners May Share Clubs

Partners may share clubs, provided that the total number of clubs carried by the partners so sharing does not exceed fourteen.

PENALTYFor breach of Rule 4-4a or b, regardless of number of excess clubs carried:

Match play- At the conclusion of the hole at which the breach is discovered, the state of the match is adjusted by deducting one hole for each hole at which a breach occurred; maximum deduction per round- two holes.Stroke play- Two strokes for each hole at which any breach for hole at which a breach occurred; maximum penalty per round- Four strokes (two strokes at each of the first two holes at which any breach occurred.)Match play or stroke play- If a breach is discovered between the play of two holes,

it is deemed to have been discovered during play of the hole just completed, and the penalty for a breach of Rule 4-4a or b does not apply to the next hole.Bogey and par competitions- See Note 1Stableford competitions- See Note 1

4-4c. Excess Club Declared Out of PlayAny club or clubs carried or used in breach of rule 4-3a(iii) or

Rule 4-4 must be declared out of play by the player to his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play imme-diately upon discovery that a breach has occurred. The player must not use the club or clubs for the remainder of the stipulated round.

PENALTYFor breach of Rule 4-4c:Disqualification.

INCIDENTS At the 2008 WGC- CA Championship at Doral, Ian Poulter missed an eight-foot putt for par at the 14th hole. Then, while walking to the 15th tee, Poulter smacked his putter against a cart path kerb, knocking loose weight bar on the back of it rendering it non-conforming.

As his putter was not damaged in the normal course of play (e.g. in playing a stroke or accidentally dropping it), Poulter was not allowed to use the putter again during his round. He spent the rest of the round putting with his wedge.

“It was one of those things,” he said following his round. “I dropped my putter on the path, probably a little bit of frustration was in there. I guess concrete and metal don’t really mix too well.”

Jim Furyk was penalized four strokes in the third round of the 2009 Barclays Championship at Liberty National Golf club when he left an extra club in the bag. Furyk discovered the extra club when he was preparing to play his second shot to the par-3 2nd hole. He noticed when he reached into the bag to get his 60-degree wedges, taking his total number of clubs carried to 15. The “extra” 60-degree wedge had been inadvertently left in the bag after a practice session and went unnoticed due to the shower cover that was on the bag when he had started the round.

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The concept of a walk off has always amazed me. In baseball a walk off would be hitting a home run or even a game win-ning single at the bottom of the 9th of a tied ballgame. With one mighty swing of a bat the player gives his team a win and

he need not even hustle to reach the base, thus the idea of a walk off.In the NBA last year, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers

hit a game winning 3-point shot, not just to win a game but also to

win the series against the Houston Rockets. The commentator of the game exclaimed that Lillard’s heroics would be the NBA’s version of the walk-off.

In golf, considering that golfers don’t really do any running in the first place, the idea of a walk off would be a bit of a stretch. What Jobim Carlos did in the Philippine Amateur Open Championship last January 7, 2015 at the Aoki Course in Eagle Ridge Golf and Country

Bidding Bye-Bye with a BangBy Reggie Nolido

Jobim Carlos

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Club may very well be the closest version to a walk-off, as you’ll ever see. With a clos-ing birdie to bury the chances of his closest pursuers, Carlos, who will soon put an end to his amateur career, walked off with a crown on one hand and the adulation of his peers in the other.

Consider the premises. Jobim Carlos was playing one of his last events, if not the last event, as a well-decorated amateur golf-er. His resume to date is beyond question. Distinguishing himself from the junior ranks he moved on to sharpen his skills playing for the golf team of the University of San Fran-cisco Dons (the same school as NBA legend Bill Russell). As a student of USF he both led his team to credible finishes and also won in-dividual honors. In the local front he was a member of various national teams including the team that regained the Putra Cup in 2013 after 17 long years.

In the Philippine Amateur Open last year Carlos came in second behind the dominant LJ Go, who ran away with the crown with an 11-stroke lead. Carlos, however, had eve-ry reason to believe that he was more than prepared to finally grab the brass ring this time around. At the qualifying school of the Philippine Golf Tour held on the last week of December in the same Aoki Course at Eagle Ridge, Carlos announced his coming by an-nexing medalist honors winning by one over Justin Quiban. What was most impressive is that he conquered the back nine on the last day hitting 5 birdies, including the last two holes. With Quiban nipping at his heels, Car-

Jobim Carlos

Lee Hyong Hyun

los resolutely held on for victory, while assuring that he would have a home as he turns pro-fessional.

With a very positive memory of the place from events of just a few weeks back, Carlos entered the fray in high spirits. An opening 70-73 (1-under par) left him just a stroke back of half-way point leader Alvin Hiew of Malaysia. Day three conditions though bared the fangs of the Aoki Course as the wind wreaked havoc over the field. Hiew skied to an 84 to fall out of the lead, while the field produced just one sub-par round (Park Min Ung of Korea). Defending champion LJ Go (72) would have been under par as well were it not for a disastrous dou-ble bogey in the last. In

the meantime, Carlos grabbed the lead with a steady 74, entering the final canto at 1 over par. Rupert Zaragosa, who led the field after his four under par first round, matched Car-los’s 74 to lay one shot back. This set up the story for championship Friday.

Nur Durriyah Damian


On his day three play Carlos shared, “I was still fine until the late bogeys. I think more than the wind the holes were put in difficult positions that made it doubly hard to go for birdies.”

Just as in day 3, the wind would allow only one player, Dan Cruz, to shoot under par. He shot a 70 to climb up to T-5 by the end of the day. Carlos showed poise and consistency recording a birdie and a bogey in the front nine for an even 36. Keeping close to Carlos, Zaragosa scored a 37 marked by a double-bo-gey at the 4th a bogey at the 6th, and an eagle at 7 to fall two behind at the turn. Zaragosa threw down the gauntlet with a birdie at the par 5 12th to close the gap. At the 14th, an unchar-acteristic bogey by Carlos allowed Zaragosa to

LJ Go

draw even with 4 holes to go. The par-5 15th turned out to be the decider.

Playing the par 5 like a wily veteran, Car-los played the hole perfectly and exited with a birdie. Zaragosa was on in regulation but promptly three-putted to fall two back with three to go. While Carlos parred the next two holes, Zaragosa, who needed to press his luck, suffered a bogey on the challenging 17th to fall three behind. Both players then birdied the final hole for the final score. With an even 72 (one over par), Carlos grabbed the Philip-pine Amateur Open Golf Championship by 3 over the resilient Zaragosa (74). LJ Go shot a 73 to climb up to 3rd followed by Park Min Ung (76). Dan Cruz (Phil) and Marc Ong (Sing) tied for 5th, while Kim Dong Min (Kor) and Jel-bert Gamolo (Phil) tied for 7th. Tied for 9th

were Justin Quiban and Raymond Gonzales to complete the top 10.

Asked how he felt, Carlos exclaimed, “I’m both happy and relieved. It was really a tough four-day ordeal at Aoki with the strong wind in the last two rounds.”

On the distaff side, Lee Hyong Hyun of Korea, who started the day four back, an-nexed the ladies crown with a 70 on the last day to end at 14 over par to win by three over Manuschaya Zeemakorn of Thailand (76). Third round leader Oh Chae Yu skied to an 81 to fall into 5th place. Mia Legaspi was the best place Filipina at 18 over tied for third with Nur Durriyah Damian from Malaysia. Rounding out the top 10 were LK Go (Phil) and Hwang Min Jeong (Kor) and Sam Bruce (Phil) tied for 6th, Felicia Medalla (Phil) 9th and Koreans Kim Min Jee and Seo Yin Kwon tied 10th.

The ladies side was marred by controver-sy as regulars from the ICTSI stable of golfers withdrew from competition after the NGAP banned them from including the ICTSI logo on their uniforms. One on hand, NGAP President Carlos Coscoluella explained that they were just protecting the amateur status of the play-ers. On the other hand, the unnamed sources from ICTSI clarified that even in the World Am-ateur Championship wearing sponsors’ logos is allowed.

The Philippine Amateur again showcased the best in Philippine Amateur Golf as a lo-cal bet, again, reigned supreme. With Car-los planning to turn pro, though, the revolving door of amateur champions is again churning. Who will follow in his footsteps? We have all of 12 months to see what happens next.

Manuschaya Zeemakorn

Rupert Zaragoza

from L-R: NGAP Sec Gen Pepot Inigo, Manuschaya Zeemakorn, NGAP President Caloy Coscolluela, Jr. and Eagle Ridge Golf & CC General Manager Raymond Bunquin.

from L-R: NGAP Sec Gen Pepot Inigo, Lee Hyong Hyun, NGAP President Caloy Coscolluela, Jr. and Eagle Ridge Golf & CC General Manager Raymond Bunquin.

from L-R: NGAP Sec Gen Pepot Inigo, Nur Durriyah Damian, NGAP President Caloy Coscolluela, Jr. and Eagle Ridge Golf & CC General Manager Raymond Bunquin.

from L-R: NGAP Sec Gen Pepot Inigo, Rupert Zaragoza, NGAP President Caloy Coscolluela, Jr. and Eagle Ridge Golf & CC General Manager Raymond Bunquin.

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from L-R: NGAP Sec Gen Pepot Inigo, LJ Go, NGAP President Caloy Coscolluela, Jr. and Eagle Ridge Golf & CC General Manager Raymond Bunquin.

from L-R: NGAP Sec Gen Pepot Inigo, Jobim Carlos, NGAP Presi-dent Caloy Coscolluela, Jr. and Eagle Ridge Golf & CC General Manager Raymond Bunquin.


A fourth Asian Tour title and a sec-ond successful trip to the Phil-ippines was booked by Mardan Mamat of Singapore when he won

the $1-Million Resorts World Manila Mas-ters presented by 918.com in a dominating performance at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite.

Mamat led from start to finish, carding a three-under-par 69 in the finale at South-woods’ Masters course for a winning 20-un-der-par 268 and a six-shot victory against France’s Lionel Weber’s 274. Thailand’s Prom Meesawat, last year’s runner up, was third with 276

Reigning Asian Tour number one Kira-dech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, who played

alongside Mardan, settled for fourth place with Australian Sam Brazel, Chinese Tai-pei’s Hung Chien-yao and American Paul Peterson with 278s.

Elmer Salvador was the best-placed Fili-pino at joint 33rd for which he won $7,200. Former Asian Tour No. 1 Juvic Pagunsan was at 38th, Miguel Tabuena (47th), Antonio Lascuna (52nd), Clyde Mondilla and Jhonel Ababa (57th), Frankie Minoza and Benjie Magada (62nd) and Joenard Rates (65th).

Coming to the Manila Masters, a full-field event of the Asian Tour, the 47-year-old Singaporean knew he needed a win.

This was his last month of a two-year year exemption after he triumphed in the Phil-ippine Open at Wack Wack Golf and Country

RESORTS WORLD MANILA MASTERS 2014

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Club in 2012. He was far on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit race at No. 74, 14 places lower at No. 60—the magical number to get a one-year exempt card for 2015.

“This is my last year of exemption (af-ter winning the 2012 Philippine Open) and I needed to play well to keep my card. I want-ed to win again to keep my exemption for the next few years,” Mamat said.

Well, he did just that in the country’s richest golf tournament. He doubled his ef-forts and was in total control of his game. He fell on his knees kissing the ground after tap-ping in for par at the last hole for what was his career third wire-to-wire victory.

Mardan was actually way ahead after three tough rounds at the wind-swept Mas-ters’ par-72 layout. But despite his big lead heading down the 18th, he confessed at the post-tournament interview that he only felt confident when he stepped on the green of the last hole.

“Anything can still happen. I didn’t want to make any stupid mistakes and I just kept the ball in play. I didn’t feel comfortable until after I hit my second shot on 18. Only then did I feel comfortable about winning this tournament,” said Mamat, who pocketed $180,000 as champ.

Ranged against a field composed of vet-erans and rising stars, he also knew he had to step up his game.

“I couldn’t control anyone, only myself

and I focused on my own game. Playing with Thai Kiradech (Aphibarnrat), who hits it long, I knew I needed to keep to my own pace, keep to my own strength and it worked out,” he said.

The 25-year-old Kiradech, known as a long-hitter, was a bit disappointed that he was not able to execute his plan of putting pressure on Mamat. In fact, after opening with a birdie, he dropped a bogey on two and a double bogey on four that subsequently saw him battling for survival.

“It didn’t go as I planned. I was just try-ing to attack the pin and play more aggres-sively so I can catch Mardan. The double on four was a big turning point and I couldn’t get my mind back,” Kiradech stated.

Weber, 24, was the biggest surprise of the week. Only in his second Asian Tour sea-son, he endeared the fans with his smiling presence as he savored his runner up honor, worth $110,000, that sealed his 2015 card.

“I’m happy I have secured my card. It’s a great feeling. I did think I had a chance to catch Mardan when I birdied the first hole but I made some really silly mistakes on the second (for double). Mardan is a very good player and he deserves it,” he said.

Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club, Bally Technologies, Aristocrat, Interna-tional Gaming Technology, Renoir Implemen-tation Services, Marriott, Philippine Airlines, Maybank, PLDT and Avis were sponsors.

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I was fortunate enough to be invited to experience the launch of the Titleist 915 metals launch last November at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club

in Mandaluyong City. I was very excited since it has been about a couple of years since they have launched their new equip-ment and at the same time, being the golf-ing addict that I am, I have seen and read about the new equipment online prior to coming at the event. Thus, I think I have a slight idea on what to expect.

Before going to the actual testing at the driving range, we were all asked to first listen to the speeches of local dignitaries and as well as from the Titleist group com-ing all the way from Singapore which in-cluded Mr. Marc Seow, the Distribution and Export Manager of Southeast Asia and Ms. Vanessa Heng, the Marketing and Commu-nications Manager of Titleist and Footjoy in the region. Also a series of video presen-tations were shown to further explain and elaborate on the new technology that the new metals have to enhance performance and distance for both tour players and the average golfer like myself.

The LookAt first glance, the drivers, fairway

metals and hybrids are sleek in design, projecting as well that a lot of technology have been put into them. They maintain a look that is very compact once you look at them at address. Their black and red color scheme may have contributed a lot on this. In general, it’s a good looking club promot-ing a lot of confidence at address.

The TechnologyDistance without compromise. Titleist

have developed a new kind of technology referred to as the ACTIVE RECOIL CHAN-NEL that simply provides what all of us want to get from a driver: lower spin and higher speed. But at the same time they claim that it doesn’t sacrifice forgiveness. Speaking of forgiveness, they were able to achieve this with the radial speed face. The forged face insert has also a thinner perimeter in both the heel and toe thus making off center hits manageable. And finally and most equip-ment companies do this, they produced a high MOI design which delivers stability and forgiveness by preserving off-center ball speed for more distance more often. These three aspects have become vital in making the perfect weapon for the course.


Two sets of equipment were made. One for me and the other for Adam Scott. In other words, a tour version and non-tour version were made in order to accommo-date any golfer on the golf spectrum. The tour version driver is the 915 D3 which is a compact 440cc head. This allows tour players to control trajectory and work the ball at will without resistance. It also has less spin which makes the ball fly at a lower trajectory than usual. On the other hand, the 915 D2 is for everyone. It is 460cc and packed with a lot of forgiveness and higher spin rate resulting to a higher ball flight and achieve maximum carry. However in gen-eral, for both kinds of players, forgiveness and lower spin have been their objective for optimum performance. Fairway metals and hybrids have also the tour and the standard versions.

The ExperienceI was very interested with the new driv-

er since they say that it can add up to a maximum of 15 yards of carry off the tee. I have hit its predecessor the 913 D2 which was a great driver and it would be inter-esting to see the difference with this new one. The first one that I hit was the 915 D2 since I am the type of player for that. I hit 3 shots with the launch monitor and I hit 3 shots with a slight draw. It was pretty consistent. When I looked at the numbers, I was surprised I was hitting it far without swinging that fast. I was probably swing-ing at 80 percent but dramatically reach-ing surprising numbers. According to the launch monitor, I was carrying it 10 yards more than my existing driver. But what was more important is that it flew fairly straight making it in my book a very forgiving driver.

As I tried the 915 D3, I had a lower ball flight with about the same carry as the driver that I use now. But still, hitting it straight was not really an issue. The same goes with the fairway metals and hybrids. Easy to hit. Although I had my quite some reservations before that it wasn’t so since the Titleist of the past were a bit difficult to hit. To my surprise, they really put a lot of effort to make sure that the club is forgiving and yet produces optimal distance.

ConclusionIt was a big surprise. It was a big sur-

prise on how easy to hit it compared to before. It was also a big surprise that it sounded different than what I have been

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accustomed to when it comes to their driv-ers. I guess with the thin face the sound has been more on the treble side. But the sound in my opinion translate to a feeling that the ball jumps from a very hot face and builds that confidence that you are hitting it far. As expected, there was more distance in all of the metals although I was hitting it at the range with heavier balls. The true test here is when I could use the equip-ment on actual course conditions. Hitting it downwind or against it, hitting firm greens, etc. but, I would never hesitate to put them in my bag. Hats off to Titleist staff who devote a lot of research in their equipment. Better equipment translates to more fair-ways, lower scores and ultimately more wins. They were right. Distance without compromise. I want one.

Titleist 915 are now available at all Empire Golf shops nationwide.

In the previous issue, we featured 16 avid folders from the Philippines embark on a golf vacation to St. Andrews in Scotland and play in 5 different courses - Castle Course, Jubilee Course, Kingsbarns Course, The New Course and The Old Course. The feature gained so much popularity and generated so much stir that there was a clamor to show more photos to illustrate the once-in-a-lifetime golfing experience.

It is not a far possibility that a second junket be in the works quite soon. It has been the subject of numerous clubhouse talks. So sit back and enjoy the priceless moments of these 16 gilders in their ultimate playground.

THE ULTIMATE PLAYGROUNDWritten by Edgar Joselito S. Arceo, Jr. Photographs Courtesy of Sevie Oliva

Additional Photo by Carlo Ma. Guerrero


L to R: Juanito Chua, Felix Chung, Viv Villedor, and Sonny Vistan

L to R: Jun Sauler, Albert Co, Sevie Oliva, and David Ong

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L to R: Perry Pe, Dante Dator, Manuel Dy, and Reggie Angangco

L to R: Cecilio Pedro, Jimmy Kho, Alex Tan, and Ben Yam


Location Location Location:

Once merely a hallway to Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines, Baguio, Tarlac province is rich in history while keeping its traditions alive and relevant in the modern age.

Tarlac was the last province in Central Luzon to be created by the Spanish colonial government having only been founded and created in 1873. Before 1873, Tarlac was considered no man’s land because of the insurgent might of the “Negritoes,” the first inhabitants of Tarlac, Zambales, Pangasinan and Pam-panga; well, technically the Philippines. This was further exacer-bated by the frequent incursions of Pangansinan rebels who have then been in constant conflict with the fiefdom and missionary advances of Pampanga-based ‘frailes’ and Spanish business-

An Ounce of History; A Pound of Tradition

Luisita Golf & Country Club Written by Redgie Cinco

Photographed by Reg Hernandez

men. Tarlac nonetheless served a very strategic role in the mis-sionary and commerce activities during those times as it was an important passage way that connected Southern Luzon with that of Northern Luzon. It was therefore imperative for the Spanish government to take control of the area in order to facilitate their trade and missionary works. However, this is not what we are talking about in this article.

Nonetheless, Tarlac has been the bastion of the Cojuangco family, a major player in the banking, industrial and political fields with far reaching interests nationwide. The saga of the Cojuangco history is fodder for a Falcon Crest type of soap opera, if one were to admit to knowing the 1980’s TV series and effectively carbon dating one’s self.


Current Philippine President, Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino’s parents both hail from Tarlac. His father, former senator Be-nigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., was the anti-thesis of the country’s strongman, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos. This political con-frontation eventually came to a head when in 1983, on the way back to the Philippines from a prolonged exile in the United States, Ninoy Aquino was gunned down at the tar-mac of the Manila International Airport. This would set the stage for the famous “people power” revolution in 1986 and installed Ninoy Aquino’s widow, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino as Philippine president.

Well, this is not what we are talking about here.

But then, Tarlac is also the site of Haci-enda Luisita - a sprawling property planted to sugar owned by the Cojuangco family. Crowning Hacienda Luisita is Central Azu-carera de Tarlac (CAT), a sugar mill and re-finery that patriarch Jose “Pepe” Cojuangco acquired in 1958. No less than then Presi-dent Ramon Magsaysay offered the mill for sale to Cojuangco due to the Spanish own-ers’ refusal to continue with its operations. President Magsaysay had, in fact, wanted Cojuangco to acquire Central Azucarera de Tarlac in order to avoid the wealthier hacen-deros from Negros Island and Iloilo to corner the Luzon sugar market as well with the pur-chase of the sugar mill. Still, this is not what we are talking about.

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum

Only this wasn’t Rome nor was it L.A. In 1961 (two years after his Father’s acquisition of CAT and Hacienda Luisita), Pedro “Pete” Cojuangco, the eldest son of Jose “Pepe” Co-juangco, travelled to New York City, USA and met with Mr. Isaac Granger who happened to be concurrent President of Chemical Bank and the United States Golf Association. Upon conclusion of their business, Cojuangco out-lined his plans of constructing a golf course at the periphery of his family’s massive hacienda and adjacent to the integrated sugar mill that the family now also owned. Granger subse-quently gave him two names, Dick Wilson and Robert Trent Jones Sr., both well known golf architects during those times.

On his first call, Pete got invited to lunch at the Yale Club in New York. Moments after and while enjoying their coffee at the veran-da, Pete closed the deal. Dick Wilson never got a call.

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Green of Hole No. 5

Joe Dagdagan


Luisita Golf and Country ClubHaving contracted Robert Trent Jones,

Sr., widely acknowledged as the Dean of golf course architects, to design and construct the Luisita Golf and Country Club, Cojuangco and Jones agreed to the layout in 1963 and consequently started construction in 1964.

Jones was given a 70-hectare template to weave his golfing design prowess. And that he did as he “designed Luisita with a realistic picture of golfers in mind, setting it up to provide challenge, not punishment,” as stated in Luisita’s Company Profile.

The result was Luisita’s official opening as a private golf course in 1967.

But being situated in land-locked Tarlac didn’t stop Jones from designing the golf course to be wet. In fact, the principal and

interesting feature of Luisita is water. To wit, twelve of the eighteen holes of Luisita have water hazards mostly in play. Pair this with a total length of 7,042 yards from the tips and the unpredictable Central Luzon winds, Lu-isita golf course is one of the most exciting courses to play north of Manila.

Well, maybe some golfers may doubt the exciting part. But then again, did I men-tion that Luisita teams then and now are one of the most successful golf clubs in the Phil-ippines? Its storied rivalry with another im-mensely talented golfing team, Canlubang Golf and Country Club (another sugar –based golf club), which hails from Southern Luzon, remains unparalleled. Luisita always fields the best of the best of Philippine golf-ing legends and soon to be golfing legends

with names such as Francis Gaston, Eddie Bagtas, Iggy Clavecilla, Bong Sison, Rudy Amata, among many others carrying the Lu-isita colors to many tournaments around the Philippines. It is safe to assume that Luisita is blessed by the golfing gods with immeas-urable golfing talent. It is that winning tradi-tion that they have nurtured and embodied for many years now.

Traditions, we say? When (not if) you decide to play Luisita, look around for a golf cart with D-E-L-I-E written on its plate number that leisurely circles the fairways. That would be the grand dame of Philippine Ladies Golf, Ms. Delie Castillejo. Still a very active octogenarian, Tita Delie is a treas-ure chest of history, tradition and legacies concerning Luisita Golf and Country Club,

Luisita Golf and Country Club, Inc.Hacienda Luisita, San Miguel, Tarlac, Tarlac Province

Contact Numbers:Golf Club Tel: +63 (45) 9820810 +63 (45) 4912071 to 72Cell No: Globe: 0917-5148069Sun: 0922-8905807 0922-8905805Email Add: [email protected], Website: www.luisitagolf.com

Facilities:Clubhouse is equipped with dining facili-ties, a function room, golfer’s lounge, men and women’s locker rooms and a pro shop.

Accomodations:Microtel by Wyndham – Luisita TarlacHacienda Luisita San Miguel, Tarlac 2301Philippines

Phone Number: +63 (45) 985 1770Email: [email protected]

Manila Sales OfficePhone Numbers: +63 (02) 899 7171 +63 (917) 888 1800Fax Number: +63 (02) 870 0319Email: [email protected]@microtel.ph

To get to the Microtel by Wyndham Hotel in Tarlac City, Philippines, take the North Luzon Expressway and exit at the SCTEX toll gate. Then turn right going to Tarlac and exit at Hacienda Luisita. Make another right heading toward MacArthur Highway. You'll find the property beside The Aquino Center.

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among other things, I might add. Take a moment to speak with her and you will be enamoured and regaled by stories from the past distant and recent. What will amaze you is the distinct clarity of her recollection of those precious moments in Luisita’s his-tory as if it just happened yesterday. And she even has pictures to boot!

Securing TraditionsHowever, this writer feels that the beauty

of Luisita is not limited to its excellent golfing environment but more so, it’s also its histori-cal significance in the scheme of things amid the turmoil occurring just outside its fenced perimeters.

Luisita Golf and Country club stands sheltered amidst its hallowed grounds.

Sheltered from all the intrigues of the po-litical polarities that occurs just a pitching wedge away. Sheltered from the aristocratic barons who are stripped of power by one of their own. Sheltered from the heat of pro-testations and alleged human rights viola-tions served right at the doorstep of their next door neighbour and elevated to the lone desk of the most powerful office in the country.

It is the unfathomable serenity of know-ing that they have for themselves a wonder-ful playground crafted by one of the best golf designers and ably reciprocated by a winning tradition that continues to this day.

Luisita Golf and Country Club take their traditions seriously. They serve it fresh daily. Now, this is what we’re talking about.


Are you ready for your next golf tournament?

Here it is again, the golf season is underway. The weather is cooler, the rain has diminished, and excitement is in the air. This season will bring us so many tournaments including The

Founders Cup, The Fil-Am, The Mango Tee, and the various Presidents Cups. It seems as if each country club has their own big tournaments and sometimes it’s very hard to coordinate all the different dates and times. I once was invited to three different big tournaments on the same weekend and was a challenging decision because I could not play in all three.

So, how do we get ready to play this season? Do we purchase new irons or maybe even a putter? Do we take a lessons or seek advice to figure out our swing? I would always encourage a player to seek out a profes-sional or a coach to get ready. It is very simple and I have a sure fire way to improve your game overall with a basic understanding on how to get ready to play in tournaments. Below is a basic plan and timeline of how to get ready for a golf tournament. Remember to check the format of the golf tournament as each one might be slightly different. If you know and understand the details of each format this can help you play better and hopefully score better.

TIME LINEGive yourself thirty (30) days to prepare properly

for the tournament. This will give you a clear under-standing and an adequate amount of time. If you need more time than this please schedule accordingly, as you know yourself better than anyone.

GAME PLANEstablish a game plan with your teaching profes-

sional or coach to include range lessons, practice, on course playing lesson, tournament format and course study. Spend some time and focus on the course you are playing so as you will be familiar. A good mental as-sessment of your game should be included in the game plan.

LESSONSIdeally you should have 8-10 hours of instruction.

It can be a combination of range lessons, and at least one supervised practice. Take a lesson twice a week to ensure your swing is ready. Be sure to include an on course playing lesson (preferably on the course you are playing) to get a feel for the golf course and layout.

PRACTICEYou should allow yourself at least 4-6 hours of

practice, and this can be spread out over the thirty days. You and your coach should talk about what and when to practice.

A practice should be focused on a particular as-pect of the game, whether it be putting, short game or long game. Once we are proficient with an aspect move on to another one, until we become better with the entire game.

PUTTING - 42 %SHORT GAME - 25%MID & LONG GAME - 33%TOTAL GAME - 100%

Written By Daniel J. Sais

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DIETOne of the questions I get asked a lot is, what should I

eat before a tournament? I always reply with “what do you normally eat before a round of golf”? Please consider that you do not want to try anything creative or different before your tournament round as it might cause discomfort and upset your stomach. Also, be careful of sugar as this will cause a spike initially then you once you come down from it, you will get tired quickly. Stick with your standard nor-mal fare and you should be fine.

MENTAL APPROACHSeek help with this as you want to be mentally pre-

pared for this tournament. A good coach will help prepare your thoughts and game plan for the tournament round. You should start with listing your strengths and weakness-es and then play some of the holes in your head (while on the driving range) so you have an understanding of how to play it. When I played professional tournaments I used to play the first three holes on the driving range and imagine each shot as if I was on the course. Some good players even have a yardage book and plot out their shots hole by hole. If the course doesn’t have or sell a yardage book then make your own during a practice round.

REMEMBRANCE OF TOURNAMENTOne question that I have found intriguing was, why

are there so many raffles and prizes for these tourna-

ments? It’s one of things I find most interesting here in this country. I have often heard conversations with people saying, “I always play in this one or that one because they have the best raffles and or prizes”. I was a little surprised as this was a very common conversation. Not much is talked about when it comes to the charity or the cause that originally started the tournament or even the money that would be raised for the tournament. Let’s play the tournament because it’s for a good cause or we want to support, not for the raffles. Hopefully, there are players out there that truly want to give back and support these tournaments.

Play Well!

Daniel J. Sais is the president of Esquire Golf Management and Director of Instruction for Esquire Golf Learning Center. His company is involved with golf course management, tournament directing and consulting. He is a published writer and has taught thousands of lessons over the last twenty years. He is a PGA Professional, and is certified in teaching and club fitting and is available for lessons both mental and physical. All lessons are by appointment only, and he also teaches at several private country clubs in Metro Manila, and can be reached at +63 (917) 5621134

Good golfing weather is back and with this starts our golfing season. NGAP has two remaining tournaments until the end of the year -- the Mindanao Regionals and the Na-

tional Doubles. The Mindanao Regionals has a unique format to

spur the golfing community’s interest to participate. There are the Open Division, Mid-Am Division, Seniors and Ladies Divisions. All divisions will try for a qualify-ing slot for the match play stage until the champion is fi-nally determined. The non-qualifiers and the first round losers will play for the MVP SPORTS trophy using a net score format. This ensures their three days of play.

December 16 to 18 has the National Doubles golf tournament where the participants will have the chance to play with their chosen partners. This tournament pre-sents the players with a different type of playing pres-sure as playing with a partner with three different types of formats (one ball twosome, best ball and aggregate) make a very interesting tournament. This tournament will surely strengthen the characters of the players in contention.

January 6 then features the National Amateur Championship in Eagle Ridge Golf Club with a stroke play format. This will be the first time this championship will be hosted by Eagle Ridge at the Aoki layout.

Other tournaments being conceptualized are the interclub team championship with 8 players (three sen-iors and five of the best club members). Interested golf clubs willing to host this event may call and coordinate with the NGAP for the possible dates in March, July, August or October. This will be a 72 hole stroke play championship.

The other tournaments on schedule are the DHL AMATEUR at Canlubang (February 9 to 13), PHILIP-PINE JUNIOR OPEN (stroke play) at Sherwood (April 7 to 10), NATIONAL MATCH PLAY at Orchard (April 20 to 24), PHILIPPINE JUNIOR MATCH PLAY at Alabang

(May 5 to 8) and the PHILIPPINE SENIOR AND MID-AMATEUR OPEN at Malarayat (June 17 to 19).

Tournaments after July will be announced in the next issue. These are the Visayan Regionals, Mind-anao Regionals, National Doubles and the Northern Amateurs. The evaluation games will still continue on months that do not have major amateur tournaments.

All these were made possible with the help of the PLDT and the MVP SPORTS FOUNDATION. Players are assured of good tournaments so they can improve their game and keep up with the Asean's best.

The ASEAN SCHOOLS ATHLETIC WEEK was just concluded last December 5, 2014. The girl’s Philippine team composed of Princess Superal, Pauline Del Rosa-rio, Yuka Saso and Sofia Chabon won the tournament handily over Thailand and Indonesia. All players for the Philippines played under par for four days while running over their opponents. The steady game of Princess Su-peral produced scores of 70, 70, 70 and 70 earning her the individual title over Pauline Del Rosario while Yuka Saso placed third.

It was a completely different story for the boys. Thailand won handily over the field. They were so strong they finished the last day with scores of 66s and 64s. The boy’s team they were fighting for third place from the start. They finally caught up with Indonesia when Wei Yu Gao started the day with a two over 74 with Gabby Manotoc. Then the fireworks started with Adrian Chan scoring a three under 69, Krisstoffer Arevalo with a 70 and finally Wei Wei Gao scoring a very important 69 to anchor the team. The event was held at the Valley Golf and Country Club executive course.

Good Golfing.

Pepot Iñigo is the 2011 Philippine Senior Amateur and Fed-eration of ASEAN Senior Champion

TOURNAMENTSWRITTEN BY PEPOT IÑIGO


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Collection

Loro's Summer Style

Here are some Loro ensembles for a colorful summer


ASIAN TOUR DRESSES UP WITH FENIX GOLF

The Asian Tour will welcome a new Tour Partner in FENIX Golf fol-lowing an agreement reached with the sports fashion house to be-come the Tour’s Official Apparel Supplier.

A recognised name in many parts of Asia, the FENIX Golf brand boasts a proud Scottish heritage that is reflected throughout their designs and each of their collections.

The launch of the ‘Asian Tour Collection’ which features FE-NIX’s customised range of apparel for officials and staff members of the region’s premier Tour will also be made available for general sales online and at various events and outlets.

Through this new partnership, FENIX Golf will enjoy multiple opportunities to leverage its brand across the Asian Tour’s media platforms that include print, digital and mobile.

FENIX Golf’s partnership with the Asian Tour is also an exten-sion of its commitment towards golf where six-time Asian Tour win-ner Scott Hend of Australia is part of its sponsorship stable of golf personalities.

Michael Moir, Managing Director of FENIX Golf said, "We are delighted to have formalized a partnership with the Asian Tour, after sponsoring multiple events over the past few years, making the step up to be the official apparel supplier for the Tour is very exciting.

“It will enable us to strengthen our position in current markets and also develop new ones in Asia and beyond. The Asian Tour Col-lection will be a significant tool in achieving this and will give both brands great exposure."

Asian Tour Chairman, Kyi Hla Han was pleased to announce the partnership which underscores the cosmopolitan appeal of the Asian Tour.

“We are delighted to welcome FENIX Golf as an Asian Tour partner as they understand the values and reach the Tour has to offer.

“As our valued partner, FENIX Golf will have the opportunity to grow their brand appeal while clothing our staff and officials in the most fashionable outfits,” said Han. - Asian Tour

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LAHIRI VOTED 2014 ASIAN TOUR PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE YEAR


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Anirban Lahiri has been voted as the 2014 Players’ Player of the Year for his successful exploits on the Asian Tour where he won two titles and finished second on the Order of Merit.

The talented Indian won his first title outside of India when he eagled the 72nd hole at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters before going on to claim his second win of the year at the Venetian Macau Open, which increased his tally to five Asian Tour titles.

In a highly successful season, Lahiri contended for the Asian Tour Order of Merit crown before losing out to David Lipsky of the United States, who sealed the win in the second last event on the 2014 Asian Tour season at the Thailand Golf Championship.

Lahiri’s efforts on the Asian Tour earned plaudits by his peers who recognized his efforts and battling spirit which he displayed in a stellar year where he notched six other top-10 results.

“I feel honoured and privileged to be chosen by my friends and competitors for this award. The previous recipients of this award in-clude legends of Asian golf like Jeev (Milkha Singh) and Thongchai (Jaidee) and it's inspiring to be counted among them,” said Lahiri.

“It's very special when your peers confer an honour upon you. I feel deeply honoured by the faith they have shown in me. 2014 was truly a special year for me and I hope to kick on and continue

to play positively in 2015 both in Asia and in Europe,” he added.The 27-year-old was also a key figure at the inaugural EurAsia

Cup presented by DRB-HICOM where he played a pivotal role in helping Team Asia secure a dramatic 10-10 tie against Team Eu-rope, which featured five players in the successful Ryder Cup team.

“There were many great moments for me in 2014. The two wins in Indonesia and Macau were very special, especially the fi-nal putt in the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters. Getting my card in Europe at Qualifying School was a big relief having to make a comeback down the last few holes,” he explained.

“But the best moments of the year have to be the EurAsia Cup. Making the final putt to win our match in the Foursomes, partnering Siddikur was my most memorable moment of 2014. It gave us the boost to play our hearts out in the Sunday singles,” said Lahiri, who contributed two points in the match-play event.

Australia’s Cameron Smith was also named the Rookie of the Year for a commendable season on the Asian Tour.

The 21-year-old did not miss a single cut in 2014 and claimed seven top-10 finishes, including a tied fifth result at the CIMB Clas-sic in Malaysia which was sanctioned by the PGA TOUR and Asian Tour. - Asian Tour

The silent thrill of driving the golf ball towards the aim extinguished the day’s heat felt by the sun soaked players. Or perhaps, the sun’s warmth touch-ing their skin fueled their desire to win this year’s prestigious tournament.

Around 50 teams of golfers stormed to the Sherwood Hills Golf Club (SHGC) in Trece Martires, Cavite for the much anticipated invitational 4th Sher-wood Cup. This annual event follows the three-man team modified scramble format. It is a fun-filled, “family-oriented” gathering of Sherwood members and guests as well as business partners of Sherwood and Suntrust Properties, Inc. (SPI), which took over SHGC’s management since 2012.

Sang Un Lee, Raymond Bunquin and Arnel Romero were declared as the overall champions scoring 49 points.

Under Division 1, the champions were Il Kwin, Tong Hwa Lee and Ramiml Villanueva garnering 47 points, while the runners up were Nico Sevilla, Justin Limjap and Raymund Sangil scoring 44 points.

Jie Sik Oh, Chung Hyo Lee and Young Kwon Kim got the Division 2 cham-pionship scoring 47 points. Lino Magpantay, Jojo Mercado and Alex Go fin-ished as runners up with 44 points.

The group of Misako Ogihara, Shinichi Ogihara and Tatsumasa Aikawa scored 35 points, giving them the championship in Division 3. The Suntrust trio composed of Isaias Berdin Jr., Atty. Basilio Almazan and Jerry Rubis came in as runners up in the same division.

All the winners received trophies, Megafiber products and bottles of Em-perador Deluxe.

The Sherwood Cup is an annual invitational tournament held at the Jack Nicklaus signature championship course of SHGC. In 2007-2008, SHGC ranked 85 in Golf Digest’s “100 Best Courses outside the United States.” It was also graded 85 out of 100 and was included in Rolex World’s Top 1000 golf Courses for 2011-2012.

Golfers Putt For Sherwood Cup Championship

Division I Champions Ramil Villanueva, Il Kwin and Tong Hwa Lee

Jie Sik Oh, Chung Hyo Lee and Young Kwon Kim rule the Division II Category

Bagging the Division III Category are Shinichi Ogihara, Tatsumasa Ai-kawa and Misako Ogihara

Division I Runner Up: Raymund Sangil, Nico Sevilla and Justin Limjap Division II Runner Up: Lino Magpantay, Jojo Mercado and Alex Go


The triumvirate of Sang Un Lee, Arnel Romero and Raymond Bunquin scored a low net of 49 to take the Overall Team Championship.

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Division III Runner Up: Sonny Berdin, Basilio Almazan and Jerry Rubis Upbeat musical entertainment courtesy of the Musiqglass Band

Prizes galore during the luncheon and awarding ceremonies at the Clubhouse’s Veranda.Band

Event Partner-Sagada Construction Development Corporation: Virgilio Mo-rada, Arnel Piel, Virgilio Bucat, Evelyn Ng, Grandi Abarico and Michael Morada

Event Partner-Alcon Advertising: Michael Sawan, Cherry Nucom and Madjed Sawan.

TEAM SUNTRUST: Isaias D. Berdin Jr., Greg Mon-teclaro, Atty. Harrison M. Paltongan, John Palton-gan, Jerry R. Rubis, Atty. Basilio C. Almazan Jr.

Things are really “looking up” at the 4th Sherwood Cup with our media friends Elmer Ngo, Arnold Clavio and Orly Trinidad

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Eagle Ridge Fore By Four Golf Tournament 2014

As we look back, Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club will fervently re-member 2014, especially its last digit, for it represents a lot of the wonderful things that have happened throughout the year.For the first time in its history, we used our 4 championship cours-

es—Norman, Faldo, Aoki and Dye—in our 4X4 Invitational that was spread over 4 days. This is what the name really means and we have successfully launched a game-changer for our member-guest tournament.

The 4X4 also gave away more than P4-million worth of prizes, consisting of high-tech gadgets, high-end appliances, gift certificates, and golf equip-ment and was highlighted by the raffling off of two brand new Toyota Wigos that were won by member Yancy Victor Uy and partner Jessa Gumanoy.

A new twist of the 4X4 awards was that it was held outdoors under a large tent at the nearby driving range, just a stone’s throw away from the main clubhouse. It was transformed into one festive place especially when acoustic singer Paolo Santos blurted out his signature love songs.

At the middle of Santos’ performance, avid golfers-slash-singers-slash-entertainers Danny Javier, Buboy Garovillo of the APO Hiking Society prod-ded me to join them to make us the Fab 4 of the night.

would like to sincerely thank our 4x4 sponsors namelyAgre Explorer, Aqua Haus, Arnel Agustin, Boeing, Flying A International, Ford, Golf ‘N Sky, Ju Young Elec., Kambal Pandesal, LK Golf, Makita, Mila Comia, FSBI, MT Travel, Pixel Data, PRU Like UK, Purefoods, Robust/ATC, Tae Sung, Telered Tech., Turf-TORO, Ye-Sung Tech, South Groups, Splendido Taal, Tee One, Tobi Group of Companies, Transview, Turf-Texas Eagle, Aviva, Sherwood Hills, AJA, Autohub, Brownwood, Splash Mountain, CJH The Manor, Custom Clubmakers, Delta Air, Gen. Trias Medical Center, Formost, G&W Clubshares, Gen. Gilbert Marfori, GPS Tracker, Imosti, Impact, Inquirer Golf, Isuzu, Jaco-bina, Klaric Homes, LCTSI, Meister/YSG Skincare/Nice Day Coffee, Microtel, Mizuno, Oakley, Qubo Qabana, Rizgolf, Rudy Project and Solaire for without them the tournament would have been a huge hit.

Another great thing for Eagle Ridge was when it captured the overall Club of the Year title in the Sta. Lucia Golf Tour. It led from the start at Rancho Palos Verdes for the Mindanao leg, to the middle at Alta Vista for the Visayas Swing and, lastly, at Summit Point for the grand finals.

Of course, we must take note of the cost-effective management of the club’s maintenance and wonderful image-building program that have had created the biggest buzz among the sport’s thriving industry.

For the coming 2015, it will be a challenge for Eagle Ridge to keep on with its winning attitude. Please be assured that we shall be more active and even more caring for the total enjoyment of our members, guests and friends.


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The 2014 President’s Cup was our 1st. It was done on this date to celebrate our 1st year anniversary and Member’s Christmas Party. This event was for members only. We did a stableford with 100% handicaps and had 4 regular divisions, a Senior’s

and Ladies’ division.

Awardees for the event are as follows: ChampionsOverall Net – Carlo Castro 43Overall Gross – Manny Angeles 27Class A – Hiro Tsychiya 29Class B – Arnel Manganti 35Class C – Yanwu Wu 38Class D – Myoung Su Kim 38Seniors – Jose Imperial III 42Ladies – Elizabeth Salazar 41 Runners upClass A – Kyu Jeong Park 27Class B – Arnel Guballa 35Class C – Weiwen Cui 33Class D – Nelson Cayco 37Seniors – Fernando Rayla 41Ladies – Gilda Medestomas 30 Sponsors are as follows;Ayala Land PremierPacSports, Nike and Club CarFord PampanaImpact GolfBusiness Mirror

Anvaya President's Cup


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March 2014 marked another milestone for Dunn-Edwards Paints, the 10th anniversary of Dunn-Edwards' presence in the Philippines.

In 1996 Decopro Inc. decided to import quality and eco-friend-ly products to the Philippines for their construction supply business, their main business at that time was moldings and stucco products. Not satisfied with the architectural coatings available in the market, Architect Romeo So started the search for a better product. Re-membering the product he had used in California during his time as a developer which was known to be the best quality and manu-factured with the highest standards in the south west of the USA “Dunn-Edwards Paint”

At first a small amount, just a few thousand gallons, were im-ported to supply as a finish coat for the masonry and molding prod-ucts, leading to tens of thousands today. Every year we have expe-rienced growth both in the Philippines and other parts of Asia; this was achieved because of two reasons.

First the hard work by Architect Romeo So and his team con-sisting of his two sons Jackneil So (COA) and Jeremy So (COO).

Secondly, and most importantly, the ever growing support by the Architects, Designers and contractors who were looking for an eco-friendly high quality alternative to the products that was gen-erally available to them. Dunn-Edwards now imports products to 9 countries including China, South Korea, and Singapore and of course the Philippines.

To show our appreciation and to celebrate this milestone, Dunn-Edwards and Decopro Inc. held its first invitational golf tour-nament at Santa Elena Golf course on March 12th 2014, inviting 72 guests including those who have help us grow from the beginning.

We realize without their support this milestone could not have been achieved. As often said “The greatest form of advertisement is word of mouth”

So we would like to take this opportunity to thank all that came that day and all that have continuously showed their support, we hope to keep growing this relationship.

Dunn-Edwards Paints10 Years in the Philippines

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An editor of a golf magazine eclipsed the rest of the media golf aficiona-dos as he ruled anew in the 2nd Gatorade Cup held recently at the Orchard Golf and Country Club in Dasmarinas, Cavite.

Jun Arceo of Impact Golf Magazine carded the lowest gross 76 to top the field in the par 72 world-class course designed by golf legends Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. Arceo was also numero uno in last year’s maiden Gatorade Cup held at the Greenfields Golf and Country Club in Calamba, Laguna.

Addressing the 51 players shortly before the awards rite, Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. (PCPPI) President Furqan Ahmed Syed gamely ad-mitted that golf doesn’t count (yet) among his favorite pastimes, but vowed to see action in next year’s tournament, virtually setting the stage for the 2015 Gatorade Golf Cup.

Veteran sportscaster Anthony Suntay who co-emceed the awarding along with PCPPI Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communications Jika Dalupan hinted that they would be just too happy to have the PCPPI top honcho swing around with them “in the most hydrated golf tournament ever,” referring to the makers of Gatorade as the exclusive sponsor for this tourney.

After all, handicapping is pretty much allowed in golf to enable the first-timers to adequately compete even with the masters.

And apart from the major prizes, PCPPI saw to it that there was a minor gift for everybody. Walang umuwi nang luhaan (Nobody went home in tears).

Arceo who presumably knows everything about golf, had a handicap of 9 for a net 67 to win the game.

PCPPI’s retired manufacturing head Danny Gregorio was one tick behind at 68 to take the Overall Net trophy.

Luke Gaston of Malaya who scored a net 70, ruled the Print Media Divi-sion, followed by Jun Engracia (71) and Buddy Resurreccion (72), both of Philip-pine Daily Inquirer, in that order.

In the Broadcast Media Division, Ely Saludar of radio station DZXL grabbed the championship with 71, while Suntay was first runner-up with iden-tical 71. Senor Rey Pacheco of DWIZ was awarded second runner-up.

Elmer Ngo of Mileage Asia who came up with 69 was the man to reckon with in the Business Partner/Guest Division, against Muntinlupa City’s Eddie Moldez, 71, and Autohub’s Willy Tee Ten, who both made 71.

Cielo Fregil of Global Ambient once more prevailed in the Women’s Di-vision, with Mary Ann Reyes of Philippine Star in second place, and Donna Flavier of Ube/Panahon TV, third place.

The executives of PCPPI also came to play in full force, led by their CEO Yeon Suk-No, who led a distinguished roster in the ceremonial tee-off.

Quite expectedly, again there were no holes-in-one, prompting the organ-izers to raffle off the prize—a vacation package for two in Palawan. Musong Castillo of PDI would make that pleasure trip.

PCPPI STAGES SECOND GATORADE GOLF CUP

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The 17th President’s Cup 2014

Ending with a big bang - 17th President’s Cup! To cap the se-ries of grand tournaments for the Club’s 20th year, Tagaytay Highlands had two leading car companies as co-presentors of the tourney. With Lexus Manila and Toyota Motor Corporation Philippines, it was the first time for Presidents Cup to have two cars at stake. A luxurious Lexus IS 350 for the luckiest hole-in- one winner and a premium Toyota Altis won by Mr. Edwin John Y. Ty were at the prize bag.

To make the event extra special, the Club President and the Gen-eral Manager decided to give P4500 worth for Green Fee vouchers as giveaways. Talk about value for money. Register for 4500 and get 4500 in return! Not only that, all participating golfers had a chance to win minor prizes apart from their chances of winning the major and grand raffle prizes. Beyond the P4M million worth of prizes, City of Dreams Manila threw in an exciting series of raffle before the grand raffle draw making the awarding even more special.

Acing the tournament was Bruce Lee gaining the 2014 Low Gross Overall Champ at 68. Division awardees were (A) RJ Rizada at 77-7-38 via count back lower back 9 gross, (B) Roger Lim at 83-16-41, (C) Sam-uel John Rios at 93-34-45, (Senior) Victor Chua at 95-33-45 for Men’s Division, (A) Rosalie Heo at 87-15-36, (B) Jang Hyang Suk at 85-18-41 for Ladies’ Division, and Willy Maldia at 81-17-44 for Guest’s Division.

Success of the tournament is owed to Club’s loyal and new spon-sors. Special thanks Lexus Manila, Toyota Motors, City of Dreams Ma-nila, Baron Travel for the Royal Caribbean Asian Cruise package; Nis-san UN Avenue Manila, Werdenberg International, Visible- Icom official sponsor for handheld devices; Avolution Inc. for the Dynamic Display Solutions, LED Floor, Mobile bar and Interactive media display; golf cart hole-in-one sponsors: Club Car, Yamaha Kart Plaza and Texas Eagle; Rizgolf for tournament tokens; Impact Magazine, the official me-dia partner; PAGCOR, Pacific Links, Emperador, Forth and Tay, Gato-rade, Crystal Clear, Merisant distributor of Equal and Stevia, Yamaha, Edoardo Gelato, Sofitel Manila, Hotel Jen, Microtel Business Suites and Marco Polo Ortigas Manila, Taylor Made, Irest, Imarflex, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.


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feb-march impact 2015 -issue

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