Patterned after the AT&T Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, the $200,000 President’s Invitational Pro-Am is the first format of its kind in the Tour and counts towards the Order of Merit 2001 and world ranking points. It will be held Jan. 25-28.
The choice of the Philippines as the APGA Tour’s kick off leg is seen as a recognition of the Filipinos’ organizational skills and acumen.
Manila Southwoods chair Bob Sobrepeña, one of the prime movers of the event, said the President’s Invitational Pro-Am will be held annually.
"It is our desire to make the President’s Cup an institution just like the Philippine Open," said Sobrepeña.
Manila Southwoods has been host to a number of international golf events, including the Casino Filipino Open held early this year.
The second edition of the Casino Filipino Open is tentatively set March 1-4 also at the Manila Southwoods.
The top 60 players of the Asian PGA tour, including Filipinos Cassius Casas, Gerald Rosales, Danny Zarate and Rodrigo Cuello, are automatically invited. They will be joined by six sponsors’ invitees and the country’s leading amateurs.
Frankie Miñoza, the country’s top pro, has also been invited to see action in the four-day event at the hazard-laden Masters, a Jack Nicklaus-designed course.
Each team will be composed of one pro and two amateurs who each will play 36 holes in the best-ball team format. Apart from the individual pro and team events, there will also be a separate competition for amateurs using their full handicaps.
Based on the successful pro-am event played on the US PGA Tour, there will be no cuts for the pros.
Simon Dyson of England, who topped the Order of Merit last year with $282,371.29, is expected to see action alongside No. 2 Jyoti Randhawa of India and Yeh Wei-Tze of Taiwan.