Cantada embarks on pro career

Gerard Cantada, winner of 18 individual titles as an amateur here and abroad, last Sunday announced his decision to turn pro and spend most of his time sharing with young and old players the latest on golf technique which he absorbed during a recent visit to the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in the US.

The 24-year-old Gerard, who nailed his first title during the Asia Pacific junior golf championships in Seoul, Korea, as a 10-year-old, is now looking at this year’s RP open as possibly his first tournament as a pro, adding that he will then limit his stints as a player so he could concentrate on his teaching.

"I think I’ve had enough as an amateur and in those long years I feel that I’ve given my best whether I’m competing individually or as member of the national team. Now, it’s time to give back something in return to the sport and this is by teaching players young and old," he said.

Gerard has already secured his professional license from the Games and Amusements Board for him to join pro tournaments of his choice. And as a teaching pro, he would be visiting the US at least six times a year to meet Chris Walkey, an apprentice coach with the prestigious Leadbetter Academy.

"One does not learn the ropes as a teaching pro overnight that’s why continuous visits to the US will be needed. It’s a very delicate learning process, too. And in teaching, I’ll be using the latest equipment," he added, referring to the V1 digital coaching system – a highly-computerized program – that will serve as the base of his teaching lessons.

Gerard’s father, Boy, one of the spearheads of the country’s junior golf program, was elated over his son’s decision to turn pro while sharing his knowledge of the sport to aspiring players. "Well, I’m really happy for him in making this decision. Now, he can play as a pro and at the same time earn in a leisurely pace as a teaching pro," he said.

The elder Cantada, aside from conducting jungolf tournaments, is now busy putting up the Cantada Sports Center on a 3,000-square meter family property in Bicutan. The center, expected to be fully operational by the end of this year, is air-conditioned and will house a top-of-the-line basketball court, an indoor shooting range and a boxing training gym.

Gerard, who started playing golf at the tender age of seven, won most of his titles as a teenager .These include victories in Hong Kong, Saipan, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Italy where he became the first non-European winner of the Trofeo Topolino tournament in 1991 and California where he topped the 16-18 division of the International Junior Championships in 1995.