MORE than 100 young from the region will participate in the Mindanao Leg of the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines (JGFP) Apo Circuit teeing off on Thursday at the Apo Golf and Country Club.
The age brackets for the 5 to 12 years old will be played on Thursday and Friday, while participants in the 13 to 18 years old categories will see action on Saturday and Sunday.
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Under the new board of directors, this is the first time that the JGFP will conduct a tournament of this magnitude at Apo Golf, or since its first and only event here back in 2014.
“We are very excited to have a real grassroots development for golf. After this Davao meet, we will also be doing a similar event in Cagayan de Oro City later this month,” said JGFP chairman Tommy Manotoc.
JGFP president Olver Gan shares the same sentiments, hoping to discover new talents.
“We hope to discover new talents at the grassroots level, which is the mission of JGFP,” said Gan, a former golf consultant at the Games and Amusement Board (GAB).
“With the number of participants that we have, it’s already a success not only for the JGFP, but for the golfers because they will have a solid competition,” added Gan, who has invited Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte to grace the event.
The region has produced a number of world class golfers over the years, including Apo’s own Tony Lascuna, Cassius Casas, Elmer Saban, Elmer Salvador, Jay Bayron, Jhonnel Ababa, national team member Elmer Bisera and rising star Edison Tabalin. As part of its support to the grassroots programs of the JGFP, the management of Apo Golf has prepared the course with the setup of the fairways and greens. Gan also expressed his gratitude to Apo Golf board, led by its president Leo Magno, for allowing the golf course as home of the JGFP in Mindanao.
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