But the sweet swingers from Tarlac City’s Hacienda Luisita had to take advantage of Manila Southwoods’ relatively poor final round to avoid losing to a team from a lower division in the battle for the premier crown.
They had earlier scored 233 at the nearby Rancho Palos Verdes for 466 to win by seven over Manila Southwoods, their strongest opponents from Carmona, Cavite.
Manila Southwoods, who sparkled with 239 at Rancho Palos Verdes, struggled with 220 at Lanang but its 459 points easily won the Founders Division championship.
Crystal Springs, a team made up mostly of Filipinos now residing in California’s Bay Area, made a final round 215 at Rancho Palos Verdes to go with 209 at Lanang to capture the Sportswriters Division pennant with 418.
Sixty-three teams competed in the tournament sponsored by 105.1 Crossover, ANS-CBN Global, Air Philippines, Air Bus, CNN International, Fortune Tobacco, GE Aircraft Engines, Joey 92.3, MTV Philippines, PLDT, Premier Wines and Spirits, Radio Mindanao Network, Royal Caribbean International, The Marco Polo Davao and UMBN/Mindanao Times.
The corporate sponsors were 96.3 WRock, Apo View Hotel and Boeing International Corp. The minor backers were Accel Sports Gear, Asia Brewery, Century Park Hotel, Tanduay Rum, TaylorMade, Nestle Philippines and Discovery Channel.
"We will be going for a five-peat next year, " said Luisita team skipper Rudy Samson.
The Luisitans thus duplicated their first four-straight championship run established from 1991 to 1994. They re-asserted their supremacy in the seniors side with a first victory in 2000.
The 18th tournament is slated at Pueblo de Oro in Cagayan de Oro City and Del Monte in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.
The 56th PAL Iinterclub, long acknowledged as the unofficial national golf team championship, shifts to high gear beginning Wednesday with the staging of the men’s regular championship.
Defending champion Canlubang will go up against traditional rivals Southwoods and Luisita together with Negros.
What made the come-from-behind triumph all the more sweet was the fact that Luisita had to hurdle two disadvantages. First, it trailed by six points going to the final round. Second, it had only seven players.
"We surely missed Carlo Gamban, but we also understood when he begged off," Samson said. "He has to take care of his constituency as mayor of Silay City."
Iggy Clavecilla played the par 72, 6,401-yard Lanang Golf and Country Club course with a 72 - 52 points in the modified Stableford scoring system - to pace Luisita.
King Sumulong supported Clavecilla with 49, Richie Garcia contributed 47 and Alex Montelibano and Alfonso Marcelo added 44 and 39, respectively.
Cesar Munoz’s 38 and the 34 of Alan Gaston did not count since only the best five scorers counted each round.