Antonio rules CAP seniors golf

It was a last-minute decision that turned into a huge career-boost for Roger Antonio.

Short of cash due to the lack of tournaments the past two years, Antonio almost didn’t make it to the College Assurance Plan Seniors Challenge at the Manila Southwoods Masters course.

With the help of some benefactors, Antonio was able to raise his capital and quickly secured his entry. He scored 69-72 to beat Mario Siodina by three strokes and with his P20,000 paycheck, the durable ex-World Cupper is now ready for the coming battles ahead in the newly-launched Philippine Golf Tour presented by CAP.

Along with Rey Pagunsan and the pro-am pair of Cassius Casas and Southwoods chair Bob Sobrepeña, Antonio made history as the first-ever winners of the new tour.

Pagunsan bagged the regular pro event, the MRT-Southwoods Open, with an impressive 14-under-par effort while Casas and Sobrepeña bested the pro-am field.

Casas, the top pro in South-woods’ stable of club pros, blended perfectly with Sobrepeña in a best-ball format for a whopping 19-under 125 effort, beating Richard Sinfuego and Emilio Tuason in the countback.

The tour resumes next week in Baguio with the Camp John Hay Open starting Saturday, Feb. 17.

The John Hay Open is another four-in-one affair with separate competitions for the regular pros, the seniors, the pro-am side-event and the amateurs.

Meanwhile, organizers of the new local circuit was recently assured of a firm commitment from the blossoming Asian PGA Tour with respect to the granting of the so-called country slots that will guarantee local players stints in majority of the APGA events.

In an e-mailed message to Robert John Sobrepeña of the organizing group, Asian PGA Tour executive director Ramlan Harun that the results of this year’s circuit will be used to determine the five country bets of the Philippines for the 2002 circuit.

Ramlan also issued his strong endorsement for the new Philippine tour, saying it will put Filipino pros back on track to aim for the bigger tours worldwide.

"Ramlan’s assurance certainly gives local pros a lot of things to look forward to in the new tour. This will be another reason for them to double, even triple their efforts in the coming legs," Sobrepeña said yesterday.