The 25th Coral Invitational

Due to the very early schedule of the Sinulog celebration this year, I almost forgot that a major golfing event is also taking place this week - the 25th Coral Invitational at the Cebu Country Club.

Many times in the past, I wrote Coral Tee, using the name that many people call the event with. Bugs Unchuan, who according to Reny Sarmiento is the historian of the tournament, has explained to me that the official name of the event is the Coral Invitational and not Coral Tee.

In the many years that I have covered the event, and in a few times even got a chance to play, the tournament has always been a rich source of stories of friendship and other golfing lore.

While the players have always taken center stage in this tournament, there are many people working behind the scenes to make it happen. Aside from the members of the tournament committee led by chairman Jake Marques and of course club president Douglas LuYm, there are also the members of the ladies chapter, who have been supporting the tournament for the past 25 years.

The ladies do various chores during the Coral Invitational from being starters, to scorers, and even marshals. More than their official functions, there is one thing that they also do for the tournament - give the players, most specially those with bad scores, a welcome smile at the end of the round to make them feel better.

The other day, Tita Vicky Moraza and Ada Martinez, the first lady of San Remigio and the president of the ladies chapter, were the starters. At the table receiving the scores was Tita Tina Ebrada, who yesterday was also joined by Tita Bud Sala and a couple of other ladies.

I'm sure there are a lot more of them working to make the Coral Invitational the tournament that is it today.

When you have covered an event for many years you kind of learn some things by heart or expect certain things to happen every year.

If you talk of uniforms for partners, you can expect to see brothers Ricarte and Rolly Santos to be clad in the same caps, shirts, pants, and I believe same color of shoes. So will Wellington Lim and retired Commodore Danny Pizarro.

Then there are also the long-time partnerships like that of John Uy and Pablo Soon of Wack-Wack, Arturo Go and Kimmy Cham, Oly Dychangco and Andy Co, Nonoy Tirol and Jerry Stemeier, and just recently I learned that Jonji Chiongbian and Mike Celdran have also been playing together for about a decade or even more.

There are also the big-name personalities from Manila and abroad who would be coming over.

This year, lawyer Raymund Fortun is playing as partner of my good friend Raymond Garcia. Raymond's dad, former mayor Alvin has former Senator Tito Sotto as partner.

Then there is the team of two Garcias - Cebu's Ramontito and Bacolod's Richie, who are both outstanding golfers.

Ramon Cojuangco, who is better known as Choy is also in town as the partner of Efren Sarmiento. Jose 'Pito' Alvarez, a Cebuano but now based in Manila, is also back in town to pair with Bugs Unchuan.

Many of the newer golfers probably don't know the contribution of Pito Alvarez to Cebu golf. He was a major factor that helped the sport grow in Cebu by supporting big events in the mid until the late 1990s. He still continues to do so.

There are many friendships that I would say are rekindled every year during the Coral Invitational. There are also many more that are made during this time of the year.

To our guests from the other parts of the country and the world, enjoy your stay in Cebu. The Coral Invitational is one example of sports tourism events that we must support.

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MILSTONES: A very happy birthday to my buddy, Atty. Vicente E. Fernandez II, who is turning a year older today. Vic is the president of the Central Visayas Chapter of the Philippine amateur Judo Association Inc.

Advanced birthday greetings also to a man we refer to as the squad leader of the famous Cebu Squad of the PMA Alumni Association Inc. Central Visayas Fraternal Chapter, Police Sr. Supt. Augusto M. Marquez, Jr., who is turning a year older on Monday.

Another squadmate celebrating his birthday on Monday is Engr. Jun Salera, who also recently passed the Nursing Board Exam. More power to all of you!