Davao City, Philippines – I am now on the 16th straight year of covering the Philippine Airlines (PAL) Interclub Golf Tournament and it has always been my dream that Cebu could again host this event.
Except for 2001 when the tournament was co-hosted by Cebu Country Club and Club Filipino, the PAL Interclub has been moving around Bacolod City, Davao City and starting in 2000 Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon.
Yesterday, Retired General Rodante Joya, general manager of the Mactan Island Golf Club (MIGC) offered to host next year’s event.
Unfortunately, even if most of the team captains gathered yesterday at Apo Golf Club are aching to be in Cebu, it just couldn’t be. The tournament has grown so big that two golf clubs would be needed to accommodate all entries.
Gen. Joya asked the organizers to consider extending the event so that the number of entries can be retained, but this cannot be done also.
So, unless there is another Cebu club interested to co-host the event with MIGC, this will be a dream that will never come true.
Among the concerns raised by Cebuano golfers is that if their club will host the tournament, the members would be denied use of the course for a period of two weeks.
This is actually a good point, but if there are two others bidders with Mactan, the MIGC can play host to both the seniors and men’s regular events while each of the two clubs can offer to host one of the events to shorten the period when visitors will be swarming all over the place.
During a talk with Alta Vista team captain Victor Gocela yesterday afternoon, we tried to work on some numbers.
There are about 150 teams (both for the seniors and the men’s events) in the tournament paying P25,000 each as registration fee. The money goes to the host clubs. This is a total of P3.75 million.
Let’s say there are ten people per team. Times 150, that is 1,500 players. If each player spends not less than P2,000 per day while in the host city that is an estimated P3 million infused into the economy each day.
Another argument is that the clubs will lose income from tourists. Figures the other year showed that of the top three most expensive clubs to play at in the Philippines, two are in Cebu.
The number of tourists coming to play golf is expected to further dwindle with the global financial crisis and this means even lesser income for the golf clubs.
If they open up to the 150 teams of the PAL Interclub, can you imagine the income that would be derived from food and beverage sales alone?
I believe it is about time the officials of the Cebu clubs start looking at the bigger picture.
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MILESTONE: Very sad news reached me minutes after I arrived in Davao last Sunday morning – Noy Emil Rizada had passed away.
The past few years, I had many chances to talk to Noy Emil and exchange ideas with one of my idols in the Cebu broadcast industry. The thought that I cannot even be there when his remains will be cremated this afternoon makes me very sad, but I know he is in a better place.
Let us all say a prayer for his soul.