Tiger slips

“My day is already made.”

I got this text message very early last Monday from my compadre, who is so likeable in many ways like his being a doting dad and husband, his success in his career, his great golf game, his ability to host events, but unfortunately not his dislike for Tiger Woods.

I had a feeling it was something related to Tiger when I read the text message from Michael Go and I wasn’t wrong.

Tiger collapsed on the final round of the PGA Championship while Korean Yan Yong Eun became the first Asian to win a Major golf championship. The other Majors are the Masters, the British Open and the US Open.

More than his feat of becoming the first Asian to win a Major, Yang also snapped the 14 tournament run of Tiger winning the title when leading after 54 holes.

This shall mean more interesting tournaments in the future and more players realizing that Tiger can be beatable even if he leads entering the final round. I am not really happy as a fan of Tiger, but as a fan of golf, I believe this will be good for the sport.

I still like my compadre a lot despite the fact that we can never agree on being Tiger. Well, he’s a big fan of the Lakers too, which is one of the NBA teams I don’t really like hehehe…

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My colleagues from the sports section of the local newspapers had a blast last Saturday when the members of the Sportswriters Association of Cebu tried their hand at pistol shooting.

Thanks to Armscor for supporting the activity by sending ammo and guns as well as Joel Concepcion to help us out. Thanks also to Councilor Sylvan ‘Jack’ Jakosalem, who facilitated the sponsorship of Armscor and for allowing us, a lucky few, to try his .357 magnum.

The members of the SAC, thanks to our colleague Karlon Rama, were treated not only to a day at the range, but also top-class instruction from Rey Abad, who is looked up to by many of Cebu’s new breed of shooters as their guru.

            There was also former champion Sandino ‘Dino’ Cinco, who is always with his doting dad, as well as my nephews Ariel and Martin Belarmino, who also showed the members of the SAC their skills in the sport.

Ariel, 17, and Martin, 11, are sons of my cousin Lowell Belarmino, who is also one doting father who supports the interest of his kids in shooting.

The sportswriters are trying to get their hands into the different sports to understand them better when they write.

Having been around before most the SAC members, coverage of shooting competitions used to be one of my lonelier assignments but I’m proud to say that I was able to cover its biggest competition – the World Shoot.

It seems that the other members of the SAC want to get hooked on shooting also like Karlon and this deadline beater, whose regular jaunts to the Sphinx range is one of the things I enjoy doing most.

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MILESTONES: Belated birthday greetings to the original little girl of my life, my baby sister Naika Luz Quiñones-Addington, who turned a year older yesterday. Nik-nik, as she is fondly called by members of the family, was born four weeks after our father died back in 1977.

With three elder brothers, a few uncles, cousins, and our grandfather to help raise her, she has always been one of the boys, but always our little girl.

Belated greetings also to my classmate Dr. Conrado ‘Junie’ Salonga, my compadre Jack Biantan, my former editor Noel Pangilinan, and my mistah/foster brother Lt. Col. Romy Racadio of the Marines.

Birthday greetings today go to one of my favorite local artists, Dennis ‘Sio’ Montera, who has an ongoing show at the Bluewater Gallery called Abstrac[SIO]n 2.

More power to all of you!   (THE FREEMAN)