THE ICTSI Intercollegiate Tour has been launched with 12 college teams competing in its inaugural edition.
Ateneo, College of St. Benilde, De La Salle, De La Salle-Dasmarinas, Enderun College, FEATI, Lyceum, Mapua, National University, University of Cordilleras-Baguio, University of the Philippines, and University of Santo Tomas are entered in the golf tour whose first leg will be held on June 16 at the Sherwood Hills Golf and Country Club.
ICTSI Intercollegiate Tour organizers Pilipinas Golf and Philippine Golf Foundation, which already organizes tours for pros (PGT), women pros (LPGT) and junior golfers (JPGT), are aiming to develop the collegiate level to bridges the gap between the jungolf and professional level.
Fertile grounds for golf talent
“This is a longterm goal, to find talent. Colleges and universities are grounds for future talent. If anyone decides to turn pro, we already have a local platform to kick start their career,” said Mohamed Shariz, international business manager of Pilipinas Golf.
“We want to foster the intercollegiate talent. We are looking forward to all the teams participating and being part in this tour. It is for them. It is for their growth. It is for their future,” said Pilipinas Golf general manager Colo Ventosa.
The organizers also hope that the ICTSI Intercollegiate Tour will allow young golfers to stay competitive before deciding to pro.
“In 2008 when we first proposed or dreamt about the Intercollegiate, we found that a lot of junior golfers went abroad to study and earn scholarships. But those who did not go abroad stopped playing and simply decided to continue their studies. forgetting about competitive golf.
“Golf takes a long time. You need coaches, course time, driving range time, and a lot of college students stop and then they pick it up after they graduate. There’s a lull from 18 to like 30 years old," said Philippine Golf Foundation director Arsenic Laurel.
"And there is a lot of talent. We want to have the opportunity, you can go to school and there is competitive golf. Ideally, not everyone can play internationally or turn pro. But you don’t have to be a professional to be a good player,” he said.
“The ultimate goal is really to get golf athletes to be recognized by the schools as athletes. A lot of varsity athletes get preferred enrollment dates ahead of the whole public so that they can arrange their schedule and training.
Hopefully, we’ll have scholarships for golf athletes, once you have that, we can elevate our games,” added Laurel, who was joined during the launch at Solaire Casino by Philippine Golf Foundation president Cesar Buenaventura.
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