Nokia Intervillage kicks off golf series Thursday

The Nokia Intervillage golf championship, the longest-running tournament among village golfers, gets underway Thursday with nine teams vying in the Intervillage north series at the Couples course of the Riviera golf complex in Cavite.

Registration starts at 6:30 a.m. with tee-off time set at 7:30 a.m., according to tournament director Vince Villafuerte of the organizing Videocom.

Last year’s overall champion Philam Homes, skippered by Bayani Fontanilla, leads the crack field in the first round of the 36-hole sector tournaments, hoping to set in motion its bid for a second straight crown in the event sponsored by Nokia for the second straight year.

But the rest of the competing field will be out to foil the Philam golfers’ bid, including Corinthian, which will be led by team captain Cholo Bayanga, Don Enrique Heights (Pons Nepomuceno), Acropolis (Jake Tan) and White Plains (Nano Imperial).

The other teams and their captains seeing action in the 12-to-play, eight-to-count format event are Filinvest (Pete Maniego), La Vista (Tony Aranda), Xavierville (Jay Javelosa) and St. Ignatius (Ernie Yap).

Backed by Philippine Airlines, 357 Boracay, Alaxan and Mizuno, the event, launched in 1990 to foster camaraderie among village golfers in the metropolis, will use the Stableford scoring system.