But if you go over the 120-squad cast, many other teams featuring the country’s young and experienced pros and their amateur partners are capable of winning the 72-hole event starting Nov. 19.
Leading the youth brigade are the teams of Gerard Cantada-J.R. Tanpinco, Marlon Dizon-Bones Floro, Angelo Que-Hanson So Jr., Jose Cedo Jr.-Juami Rocha and Chucho Martinez-Justin Tambunting.
Heading the experienced tandems are Richard Sinfuego-Boboy Inigo, Gil Ababa-Raymund Sangil, Antolin Fernando-Kit Lopez, Roger Cabajar-Fredivic Baligasa and Roger Antonio-Mario Naval.
And since deep knowledge of the course is a factor, too, then Riviera pro Rene "Zuma" Gaviola and Ruben de la Rosa and former general manager Lewis Rissman and Bobby Celestino are also contenders.
"If you look at the pros and amateurs playing, we expect a down-to-the-wire finish," said Bert Bravo, chairman and chief executive officer of the sponsoring U-Bix Corporation.
"I agree with Bert," said Commodore Danny Pizarro, president of the event’s host Riviera Golf and Country Club. "There are many other guys capable of winning this tournament."
Cash prizes and prizes in kind totaling P1.2 million are up for grabs in the five-day tournament–actually the revival of what was known in the fifties up to the late nineties as the Fort Bonifacio Pro-Am.
An 18-hole Celebrity event on Tuesday, Nov. 18 will officially kick off the tournament, which has a format that requires members of a team to hit one ball alternately until it’s holed out.
Aside from U-Bix Corporation and Riviera, other sponsors are U-Bix Konica Digital Copiers, Epson Printers, U-Bix Riso Digital Duplicators, S-Yard-Bravo Golf, Pivo Praha, Grappa’s, Caffe Appassionato, Petron;
Nike Golf (Pacsports), DHL World Express/WWW Express, Airlift Asia, ESAPSA, Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Philippine National Oil Corporation and Toyota Motors.
During the awards ceremony, golf bags, putters, caps, golf balls, umbrellas and inkjet printers from S-Yard, Nike and Epson will be raffled to lucky participants.