Ateneo, La Salle set showdown in Samsung interscholastics golf

The fabled rivalry between Ateneo and La Salle comes into special focus as both schools take aim at a three-division sweep in the boys division in the second Samsung Interscholastics golf championships kicking off today at the Legends course of the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite.

Ateneo and La Salle are fielding power-packed teams in the college, high school and elementary levels and should make their strong presence felt in the banner field of 27 top schools in Metro Manila and from nearby provinces.

Poveda, St. Benedict and Colegio de San Agustin are also tipped to crowd the favorites in the grade school level while Elizabeth Setton and OB Montessori are out to challenge the big guns in the high school play of the 54-hole tourney which is another undertaking of electronics giant Samsung for youth development in sports.

Brent International School Manila and Miriam College are among the newcomers.

The tourney has drawn the major support of Manila Southwoods with co-sponsors Tokyo Tokyo, Gatorade, Rogin-E, Dunlop Golf, Rudy Project, Custom Clubmakers and Wilson. Radio stations Killer-Bee, Jam 88.3, Wave 89.1, Magic 89.9, 99.5 RT and 103.5 K-Lite are media partners.

Preceding the 8 a.m. tee-off is the hitting of ceremonials balls by former President Fidel V. Ramos, Korean Ambassador Son Sang Ha, Samsung president Sang Youl Eom, Philippine Sports Commission chair Eric Buhain, Freddie Mendoza of Southwoods and Jungolf president Luigi Tabuena.

The other schools competing in this year?s Interscholastics are Southville IS, La Salle-St. Benilde, UA&P, Rosevale-CDO, Holy Infant, Reedley IS, GSCF School, Nazareth, Miriam College, Tabernacle Faith Christian Academy, International British Academy, Moonwalk Elementary, Don Bosco Academy-Pampanga, St. Paul Pasig, Ecole de Monde Michel School, Balara Academy, Quezon City Christian School and Las Pinas National High.

Boy Blue Ocampo of the organizing Professional Sports Management Group said that the big number of 142 players in the roster is an almost a 30 per cent jump in participation compared to last year.

?We will keep encouraging schools to give young golfers all the support they need which is the only way to breed better golfers for the national team and even for the professional ranks,? said Ocampo, who is himself among those who benefitted from the Interscholastics format during his junior days.

The Interscholastics is an integral part of the Samsung golf thrust that also covers the Samsung Amateur Tour and Samsung Putting Challenge which will hold its national grand finals next month at Mt. Malarayat in Lipa, Batangas.