Sta. Barbara to celebrate 100 years of RP golf

The Sta. Barbara golf course, that gem of a layout in Iloilo founded in 1907, will celebrate its centenary next year, making it the country’s oldest existing golf course that has endured the development of hundreds of other world-class layouts and withstood the test of time.

A series of golfing events has been lined up, including a major golf tournament and the unveiling of a National Historical marker in its modern clubhouse, as Sta. Barbara, managed by the Iloilo Golf and Country Club headed by president Frankie Locsin, braces for a grand celebration of its centennial year in January 2007.

A year-long celebration is actually on tap with the Joint Centenary Open and the sixth Mayor Jerry Trenas Cup kicking off a series of tournaments on Jan. 9-10. A Celebrity Fun Cup is slated on Jan. 26-28 while the Southern Ladies Amateur golf tournament, featuring the members of the national team, will be played on Feb. 7-10.

To further enhance the significance of the celebration, the National Golf Association of the Philippines and the Federation of Golf Clubs of the Phils., Inc. have declared 2007 as the Centennial Year of Golf during yesterday’s launching of the event at Wack Wack.

The RP seniors, an exclusive tournament for the country’s golfing elders, will be held Feb. 21-24 while negotiations to stage the Centenary Corporate Cup in March remain ongoing as well as the HSBC Club Champoinship.

The country’s future stars will also gather in May for the national junior golf regional tour while the Ford national team shootout, won this year by Royal Northwoods, will also be played on May 25.

Sta. Barbara will remain busy in the second half of 2007 with a series of tournaments, including the Rotary Golf Foundation Fellowship Cup, the Antonio Chan flag tournament and the 10th Bamboo Tee and Centenary Thanksgiving slated. — Dante Navarro