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REIGNING Philippine ladies titlist Chihiro Ikeda and
Junior World-bound Jobim Carlos will spearhead the local challenge
when the 29th Asia Pacific Junior Golf Championship blasts off
Tuesday at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Trece Martires, Cavite.
Ikeda, among the winningest golf
campaigners this season, will be supported by Sunshine Baraquiel and
Maria Andrea Legaspi in the girls’ division while Carlos, 15, will
be backstopped by John Kier Abdon, Miguel Yee and Kevin Orillos in
the boys’ division of the tournament for players 17 years old and
below.
The Philippines has yet to win
team honors in the annual event, but the 46-strong local contingent
will be a potent force in the invidual battle together with the
entries from powerhouses South Korea and Chinese-Taipei.
Last year in Singapore, the
Koreans ruled the 72-hole boys’ competition while the Taiwanese
topped the 54-hole girls’ competition.
Apart from Ikeda and Carlos, 2006
Junior World champion Mia Legaspi is expected to contend for
individual honors in the event organized by the Junior Golf
Foundation of the Philippines.
Completing the field, reduced to
10 countries following the last-minute withdrawal of Myanmar, are
India, which is fielding the second biggest delegation with 16 bets,
Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and Guam.
Players in the boys’ division
will be broken down into Class A (15 to 17 years old) with handicaps
of 12 or lower; Class B (13 to 14 years old) handicap 16 or lower;
Class C (11 to 12 years old) handicap 24 or lower and Class D (10
years old and under) handicap 30 or lower.
The girls’ division will have
competition in Class A (handicap 18 or lower), Class B (20 or
lower), Class C (30 or lower) and Class D (36 or lower).
Tournament sponsors are San
Miguel Corp., the Department of Tourism, Pagcor, Diamond Motors,
Sherwood Hills, Victory Coach Inc., Southwoods Manor, Smart,
Microsoft, Golden Oats, Pancake House, GMaxsports and De la Paz
trophy.
Simple opening ceremonies ushered
in the region’s biggest jungolf meet yesterday with Amalia
Montecillo, secretary-general of the Asia Pacific Junior Golf
Confederation, Jungolf Foundation President Beng de la Paz and
organizing committee chairman Gerry Handog and Sherwood Hills
General Manager Raymund Bunquin, welcoming the participants.
“It is an opportune time for us
Filipinos to show our hospitality to our neighbors. They, of course,
know that it is the Philippines which pioneered the junior golf
movement that bred world champions and the so many professional
stars,” said Montecillo.
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