Sta. Lucia Tour goes nationwide

Visayas for the start, then to Luzon and then back south to Mindanao and another return trip to Luzon for the conclusion.

Participants of the Sta. Lucia Golf Tour will take more bus and plane rides than the previous one when the course-hopping series unfurls this month with the addition of a new championship venue, organizers bared yesterday.

Rancho Palos Verdes, the Andy Dye-designed course that was recently opened in Davao, has been included as the fourth venue, completing a truly nationwide series for members of clubs operating under the Sta. Lucia Realty banner.

The series kicks off at the picturesque Alta Vista course in Cebu on Sept. 13-15 with the Orchard Golf and Country Club hosting the second leg Oct. 11-13. Palos Verdes will be the venue of the third stop on Nov. 8-10 before winding up at Eagle Ridge in Gen. Trias, Cavite on Dec. 6-8.

There are actually five clubs involved with Royale Tagaytay as the fifth team.

The 2001 Sta. Lucia Tour was launched with separate tournaments among club officials and mediamen in three host venues yesterday, Eagle Ridge, Alta Vista and Rancho Palos Verdes.

Making the affair doubly significant was the presence of representatives from The Summit Point and Caliraya, two more clubs developed by Sta. Lucia that are seen to become part of the growing series in the near future.

Sta. Lucia president Exequiel Robles graced the affair together with Orchard chair Conrad Benitez and president Dr. Carlo Magno, Marcos de Jesus of Alsons and Robbie Leviste of Summit Point. Also present were Vicente Santos and Winnie Gob, Sta. Lucia Tour chair and vice chair, respectively.

The prize package for this year’s Tour is just as big as the previous year — a residential property at Eagle Ridge valued at more than P1 million, leg prizes totalling P600,000, 32 chances to win hole-in-one prizes and 196 individual and team trophies.