I MADE THE trek down to Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club to play the 15th Sugar Tee which is the member-guest invitational in the course more popularly known to us as Marapara last March 14 and 15.

The March schedule which was different from its traditional calm January date ensured that the participants got the summer winds Marapara is known for. The course was in great shape throughout with the fairways playing firm and the greens lush and smooth making them a fair test of putting.

Participants were invited to a dinner in the Casino Filipino after the first day of play, and the awarding meal included their traditional barrio fiesta of inihaw treats. Among the notable participants were two pillars in Filipino music—Danny Javier and Boboy Garovillo of the Apo Hiking Society. They definitely enjoyed the Bacolod hospitality as they did not even bat an eyelash when they were asked to perform an impromptu number. They went up the stage and did two of their most iconic songs to the delight of the audience, making it an even more memorable awarding.

The overall winners—Carlo Gamban and his guest Seve Roxas Chua—shot a combined 152 Stableford points or the equivalent of 8-under par for two days. It wasn’t as low as most have come to expect from a member-guest tournament where 8-under would just be a single day score of one player.

Other winners include: Kokoy Locsin and Iggy Clavecilla for the overall gross; Buddy Boy Jison and Gen. Rey Velasco, Class A net; Andrew Montelibano and Boom Coscolluela, Class B gross; Marlowe Cortez and Paolo Borromeo, Class B net; Nonoy Zayco and Ed Tirol, Class C gross; and, Nene Chuatico and Rolly Sijub, Class C net. No one scored a hole-in-one that would have meant a Ford car.

The Sugar Tee was a marked success thanks to the hard-working team behind it namely Baby Infante, club president; Nene Tanpinco, tournament chair; Ramon Locsin, tournament director; Peb Reyes, general manager; Degaulle De Leon, course superintendent; and many more among the hard working directors, officers, and staff of Marapara.

On a personal note, I’d like to acknowledge my partner Francis Gaston for being a great host. I thoroughly enjoyed his stories and insights on the game. Thanks also to: Marapara director Ray Lim for sharing with me the best-tasting chorizo; Kokoy Locsin for ensuring we ate in the best places after the game; and to last year’s champion Patrick Go for the post-golf hospitality.

Lavares comeback

Philippine golfing icon Rudy Lavares is back in Cebu Country Club. He has been retired from golf because of injury but now he feels better. He has been getting his game in shape in hopes to play in some local senior pro tournaments.

Lavares was voted by IGM as among the top 10 Filipino golfers of all-time. He steered the Philippines to second place the 1977 World Cup, behind the Ballesteros-led Spain. He finished second in the individual title to hall-of-famer Gary Player. It was in this tournament where he met Ping-founder Karsten Solheim who invited Rudy to play the 1978 Phoenix Open (now known as the FBR Open) where he made the cut. In 1984, Rudy won the Philippine Open with a record-setting score in relation to par that still stands to this day.

There is so much to this legend that I plan to devote an entire column or two on him. It is just nice to see him back in the golf course and he still has a lot of game left in him even though he is already in his early 60’s.
Miñoza helps jungolf

Frankie Minoza’s Jungolf Tournament will be played on April 14 and 15, a date Minoza personally set given his busy touring schedule so that he can be there to hand out the trophies to the winners. It will serve as the first leg of the VisMin Youth Golf Circuit. The second leg will be May 9-10 in Marapara, Bacolod, while the final leg will be in May 13-14 in Cebu Country Club.

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