THREE holes in one, two at the John Hay Golf course, the other at Baguio Country Club, highlighted the first day of competition of the 75th Januarious Fil-Am Golf Championship in Baguio City on Friday.
With many parts of the country sweltering, the event got going under pleasant weather, the temperature in the low 20s with the sun peeking occasionally from thick clouds. Which means, participants got what they wanted: good weather, nice layouts, and the precious delight of laughter and camaraderie with new and old friends.
READ Luisita on a mission as Fil-Am Golf begins with seniors play
With seniors, hackers were plentiful, but the occasional glorious shots found their marks with three players seizing the moment with their tee shots. Their prizes have yet to be announced, although two cars are at stake, including a Mazda, two-seater sports car. Unluckily, Friday’s acers reportedly made theirs on holes where the cars were not on offer.
Ruben Palecpec and Bener Bauto scored their aces both at John Hay’s130-yard No. 6, a short hole with a longish and narrow green, guarded with a ravine on the right and thick grass on the left. It can be reached with a short iron or a wedge.
Palecpec used a nine-iron XXIO and a Callaway ball while Bauto wielded a Honma Beres pitching wedge and also a Callaway ball.
Over at the Baguio Country Club, Rolando Reyes of Fairgolf Club, a team based in Sydney, Australia, used a 9-iron on Hole No. 12 to score his hole in one.
Local bets from Baguio Country Club, meanwhile, grabbed the early lead in team competitions, combining for 98 points for a two-point lead over Fil-Am Golfers from New York and Baguio Blue Bloods, in the Fil A division, the premier competition in the senior category.
BCC 2 topped the Am-D bracket with 70 points, while Kumpadres-Benco was second followed by Sandigan in the Fil-F and Am-F brackets, respectively.
In Fil-D, A1/MGC and Abetamu shared the lead with 91 points each, while San Francisco Golf Warriors topped the Am-S division with 86 points, six clear of Baguio Beans.
The competition, featuring 132 senior teams and 172 regular division teams comprising 1,430 players, making it the largest amateur team competition in the country and perhaps in Asia, resumes Saturday until Wednesday while the regular division follows from Dec. 8-13.
The partial results:
SEN FIL-A – Baguio Country Club 1 98, Fil-Am Golfers of New York Team 1 96, Baguio Blue Bloods 96, FODC Team 92, John Hay Golf 84, Team Okinawa 1 82, Dugong Bughaw 51
SEN FIL-D – A1/MGC 91, Abetamu 91, BCC TOO 87, LMG-Golf Cabanatuan 70, 13Tee Golf Club 67, La Barakos Team 1 66, Guam Seals 64, Dividebuy Golf 60, Club 7882 60, Apo Golf Club USA 58, 3K Immipugo Seniors 54, Doris Fil-Jap 44
SEN FIL-F – Sandigan Golfers 1 75, Hillsiders of Baguio 69, Jasper 68, Rural Bankers 63, Ropali 61, Fil-Am Chicago 55, Team Master 53, Bibak Northeast Igolfers USA 50, Fil-Am Survivors 48, JHG-JHH Sportswriters 47, Team 1905 46, South Trading Post 44
SEN AM-A – San Francisco Golf Warriors 86, Baguio Beans 80, The Young Ones 78, Moto 74, Maragtas LLC 59, Tigermade Maagir 58
SEN AM-D – Baguio Country Club 2 70, Kumpadres-Beneco 65, Eagle Masters 58, Robros-JV 57, FOTC Glen Eagles Team 2 54, Pines Golf of California 50, Megafiber/Kalabaw/ICSI 49, Fairway Golf Buddies 49, Senior Golfers of Veterans 47, Project Lazarus 43, Team Na KOA 2 38, Malmon Golf Society 37, Seahacks/Seattle Hackers 36
SEN AM-F – Sandigan Golfers 2 50, Silicon Valley Golfers Link Team 2 45, Fairgolf Club of Sydney Team 2 45, Team Hollywood 45, Team McDer 2 43, Green Canyon Resort 40, Alpha Phi Omega Golfers Club-Team Alpha 37, Korea Morning Calm 35, ICSI/TMI Team 2 35, EK Amigos 35, Seoul Survivors 30, Team A 17
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