LA Salle and Ateneo bring their iconic rivalry beyond the confines of the hardcourt and onto the fairways as they headline the inaugural ICTSI Intercollegiate Golf Tour on Friday at the Royal Northwoods Golf and Country Club in San Rafael, Bulacan.
Ateneo, which skipped the event’s soft-launch last month, is now fully committed, fielding a deep and talented roster to challenge La Salle in a fresh arena of school pride, strategy and sportsmanship.
The IIT, developed by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and the Philippine Golf Foundation, aims to reshape collegiate golf by offering a competitive yet development-focused platform for student-athletes transitioning from junior play.
School rivalries
Though absent the roar of pep squads, the Tour retains the intensity of school rivalries, where each swing carries not just personal ambition but also the collective pride of one’s alma mater.
The IIT serves as a bridge between the junior golf circuit and elite amateur and professional ranks, offering a national stage for rising talents and opening a much-needed grassroots-to-pro pipeline in Philippine golf.
The event uses a four-round stroke play format, with the three-to-play, two-to-count team scoring system that highlights depth and consistency.
Ranking points are awarded to the Top 8 teams and individual players in each division: 15, 12, and 10 points for the top three, followed by 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 for 4th to 8th placers.
Team and individual competition scores are based on the best two rounds out of four, with the top three teams and top three individuals (including independent entries) advancing to the grand finals.
Round 2 takes place on July 27 at Splendido Taal (men), Round 3 on Aug. 9 at Caliraya Springs (women), and Round 3 continues at Pradera Verde on Aug. 11 (men and women).
The men’s Round 4 will be held on Aug. 17 at Beverly Hills Golf Club in Pampanga, while the women’s final round is on Aug. 24 at Eastridge Golf Club in Rizal. The grand finals are set for Sept. 23-25 at Splendido Taal.
La Salle, Ateneo lineups
A total of 108 players are vying for individual and team honors.
La Salle leads the field with three men’s and three women’s teams, bannered by Zachary Castro, Jose Lorenzo Flores, Miguel Fusilero, Julia Lua, Michelle Cuenca, and Madeleine Valderrama.
Ateneo counters with three men’s squads led by Glenn Unabia, Emilio Curran, and Christian Romero, along with two women’s teams featuring Monique Mendoza and Annika Jalbuena.
Other competing schools are St. Benilde, UP, UST, Mapua, Enderun and University of the Cordilleras, which seeks to challenge the dominance of Manila-based teams.
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