New foundation launched to fast-track golf development

Major personalities in local golf, led by multi-titled Tommy Manotoc, launched yesterday the Philippine Golf Development Foundation (PGDF) with objectives of giving financial and material assistance to local amateurs and providing "development programs where there is none."

A huge sector of the golfing community attended the launch at the Wack Wack clubhouse where Manotoc bared the foundation’s programs which it hopes would provide the impetus for all-out development of the sport.

" We will provide programs for women’s golf, jungolf and form a training pool for talented amateurs and help them develop their potentials with stints in major tournaments abroad," he said.

The foundation will have as members Luigi Yulo of Cangolf, Vicente Santos of the Sta. Lucia Group, banker OV Espiritu, Manotoc and veteran golfers Alex Montelibano and Montito Garcia who are tasked to coordinate a jungolf program in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The foundation was launched a week before the elections of the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP ) where Manotoc had earlier bared plans to seek a seat in the board that sparked some controversies in the run-up to the polls. " I apologize if I hurt anybody in my past statements. They were not meant to hurt anybody."

He stressed that the foundation would "foster cooperation with golf’s governing bodies and forge tieups with as many clubs as possible for members of the pool to be given the chance to play in any course on any day and even on weekends."

He added that the foundation will give priority to women’s golf and junior golf — particularly in the south since the Metro Manila area had a successful jungolf program in place and endeavor to establish a three-tiered national pool.

The first group in the foundation’s pool will be composed of established national players like Juvic Pagunsan whom the PGDF hopes to send to the US Amateur and the British Amateur to hone his skills further for the national team. There are also plans to send jungolf ace Jayvee Agojo to a number of events abroad, particularly in the US.

The second group will be made up of promising amateurs and the last mainly those coming from the junior ranks.

The PGDF will rely on corporate support, Manotoc said, adding that they have secured a pledge from Coca-Cola to sponsor the jungolf programs in the Visayas and Mindanao. TaylorMade and Titleist have also shown interest on the program.

Manotoc vowed full transparency in the PGDF wherein financial statements and activities will be made public. Directors and committee members will not get paid for their services and instead work as volunteers all for "the love of golf."

The launch was attended by key figures from major golf clubs, Federation of Golf Clubs Philippines which had 31 clubs in its fold, the Junior Golf Foundation, the Philippine Junior Development Foundation, senior trustees of the Philippine Seniors, and Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines and golf equipment distributors.