INQUIRER.net
GEN. TRIAS, Cavite - Abe Avena of Mt. Malarayat reached the semifinals for the third time in as many years by making short work of his power hitting Korean foe Dong Kyun Goh of Lake Caliraya in the men’s division even as Carmela Lee of Ayala Greenfield shocked ladies top seed Grace Atienza in the fourth National Tournament of Club Champions (NTCC) at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club here.
Avena, a losing semifinalist in all his three stints here, used his accuracy to handle the brute force of the muscular Goh, taking a 3-up lead at the turn en route to a 5&4 victory that earned him a shot at the No. 1 ranked Chino Raymundo of Valley in the Final Four on Friday.
Raymundo got a free ride into the semis when his opponent Tootsie de Jesus of Tagaytay Highlands failed to show up due to an earlier commitment he made with a business partner for a member-guest tourney.
Cho Han Pyo, representing Eagle Ridge, followed up his conquest of John Papa in the Round-of-16 with a 2&1 victory over Ricky delos Santos of Aguinaldo. He battles Rodel Mangulabnan of Royal Northwoods who ousted Lito Abiera of Tagaytay Midlands, 4&3.
Lee showed the door to Atienza, 4&3, and forged a semis clash with Vinice Godio, the double champion from Alabang and Sta. Elena who eliminated Imee Garcia of Rancho Palos Verdes, 6&5.
Manila Golf’s Richie Garcia and Bryan Cockrell, the president of Sta. Elena who is representing his club, remained on track for a glamour pairing by upending their respective foes. Garcia survived Bong de Guzman of Northwoods, 3&1, while Cockrell pounced on the struggling play of Joe Marfori of Palos Verdes for a 7&5 triumph.
Garcia will be up against King Sumulong of Eastridge who nipped Cres Bendijo of Manila Southwoods, 1 up. Cockrell takes on quintuple bypass survivor Francis Bawal of Mt. Malarayat, a 1 up victor over Gen. Romulo Narcida of Villamor.
The semifinal schedule of the tournament co-presented by Inquirer Golf, HSBC and Eagle Ridge on Friday also includes the semifinal pairing of Wack Wack’s Nicole Serapio and Aguinaldo’s Matet Salivio in the special ladies division.
The winner will meet Crystal Superal of Orchard in the finals on Saturday.
Matches Today
Men’s Division (Norman course): 7 a.m. Rodel Mangulabnan (Royal Northwoods) vs. Cho Han-pyo (Eagle Ridge)
Ladies Division (Faldo): 7 a.m. Leana Farrales (Canlubang) vs. Beachie Abiera (Tagaytay Midlands/Manila Southwoods)
Senior Division (Aoki): 7 a.m. Bryan Cockrell (Sta. Elena) vs. Francis Bawal (Mt. Malarayat)
Special Division: 7 a.m. Matet Salivio (Aguinaldo) vs. Nicole Serapio (Wack Wack)
One Feedback on "Avena gains semifinals in NTCC"
ed sombilon
I’m glad that the Pacman-Hatton fight is on again and it was finally signed by Manny.
I was just wondering how Manny could do such hard to get attitude in saying yes to the fight with Hatton on May 2, 2009 where, in fact, he said it many times after his fights that it is not his job to determine who is his next opponent or even to do any negotiations but he entrusts it to his promoters and that his job is just to fight. I believe Manny is an honest gentleman who knows what is best for him in this field of boxing, but the filipino fans and the rest of the world who love boxing should know the truth whether or not those on’s and off’s in the negotiations about the purse are genuine or not or just part of marketing strategies in order to sell the fight. Was it really necessary for Manny and the other camps to do that? Was it Manny’s personal decision to turn down the offers or it was not coming from him but from the greedy people around him who just interested about his money?
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