La Salle golfers complete vengeful win over Ateneo

BAGUIO — National player Artemio Murakami delivered one of only four points his team needed in devastating fashion yesterday as La Salle shrugged off a late rally by archrival Ateneo in the final round to win the Ateneo-La Salle Match Play 2005 at the Camp John Hay Golf Club course here.

Murakami, primed to play for the country’s SEA Games team unless lady luck smiles on him in his bid to join the Japan Tour, won his fifth straight match by trashing Jun Jun Plana, 5 and 4, in the final-day singles matches to help La Salle lift the trophy.

Going to the final day with an imposing 17.5-6.5 advantage, La Salle bucked a desperate Ateneo rally by winning five matches and halving one to complete a 23-19 victory and avenge its loss last year at Sherwood Hills.

Victories by Miko Alejandro, JR Tanpinco, Cebu’s Justin Limjap and Raffy Garcia and a draw salvaged by Jenz Tecson made it happen for La Salle on a day Ateneo seemed ready to pull off a miraculous comeback in the tourney presented by Smart Communications.

Other sponsors of the event are PLDT, Nokia, Camp John Hay Golf Club, CJH Dev’t Co., CJH Manor, Golforce, Gainers Marketing, Pisanti, Kork, Le Chef, Philippine Daily Inquirer and Club Leisure Management Corp.

Ateneo won eight of the first 11 matches but it was all over when jungolfer Marcel Puyat was drawn by Tecson and female entry Katrina Gonzalez suffered a 5 and 4 loss to Limjap.

Even the successive victories of Jeric Hechanova, Marty Ilagan, Venjo Reyes and Joel Bernaldez proved immaterial for Ateneo.

Garcia put a fitting climax to the victory by La Salle, a team captained by Freddie Mendoza with Henry Atayde, Lito Tanjuatco and Jay Gervasio as the other officials, when he beat Benjie Sarmiento in the final match.

Tournament host Bob Sobrepena said he was very pleased with the conduct of the games.

"After witnessing such high level of play from all players, perhaps Camp John Hay can be the permanent home of the Ateneo-La Salle Match Play, " he said.

Peng Perez de Tagle, president of Club Leisure Management, Corp. which organized the event for the Ateneo Golf Foundation and the De La Salle Alumni Association, said the event is bound to grow in the coming years and should contribute to the development of golf in the country.

"Congratulations to the winners La Salle and to Ateneo for putting up a stiff fight at the end. More important, the spirit of sportsmanship was clearly evident during the entire event," he added.