RP bets vie in world jungolf

SAN Diego, California — The Philippine flag along with that of 60 other countries and US states will be raised to highlight the opening ceremonies of the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships Sunday (Monday in Manila) at the Torrey Pines grounds here.

The 34-player strong RP contingent make up but a fraction of a multinational field of about 2,000 players in what can easily qualify as the one of the biggest golf tournaments in the world where such stars as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and even Jenny Rosales trace their roots.

Competitions in six divisions, including the debuting Class F (six years and under), will not start until Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) and Sunday’s much-awaited traditional ceremony will serve as a celebration of sorts for the continuing growth of the event.

When Tom Concon won here in the early 1980s, the cast was just about 500 and the event hardly had any influence on the sport.

Now, scouts will be all over the many venues, especially in the 15-17 years division where players are to be recruited for the various colleges and universities in the US.

The RP team contingent supported by Philippine Airlines, Samsung, Smart Kid, Manila Southwoods and Callaway are out to give their foreign rivals a big fight in all the age-group divisions.

Among the country’s brightest hopes are the multi-titled Miguel Tabuena and Dottie Ardina who are both playing in Class D (9-10 years) and AR Ramos and JR Gonzales who will see action in Class E (7-8 years) class.

Jungolf president Luigi Tabuena said that the original 27-player team was further bloated with the accommodation of seven more RP entries.

"We’re hoping for the best, we’ve picked up some victories prior to the competition and that should provide the inspiration to everybody in the team," said Tabuena.