Banner year for amateur golf

Amateur and junior golf posted big gains in the year just passed, confident of sustaining the growth of the sport with a series of local and international tournaments lined up for the country’s top and upcoming players this year.

Ferdie Aunzo and Anya Tanpinco’s victories in the Philippine Amateur Golf Championships and Rufino Bayron’s stirring triumph in a pro tournament at Valley highlighted a banner season for amateur golf, which has also seen the emergence of a number of players from the developmental pool.

“We actually scored 63 wins, three times more than what we recorded on our first year. In 2007, we posted 48 victories, so we believe we’re doing fine,” said Bong Lopez, the national team coach and the man at the helm of the ICTSI (International Container Terminal Services, Inc.) golf program.

Backing up Lopez in the team are ICTSI’s corporate communication chief Narlene Soriano and assistant coaches Nestor Mendoza, Cassius Casas, Joel Altea III, Carmelette Villaroman and JR Tanpinco, last year’s RP Amateur runner-up who joined the coaching staff late last year.

Formed in 2005 after the Manila SEA Games through the initiative of ICTSI top honcho Ricky Razon in his effort to help produce world-class golfers, the golf stable has now a pool of 30 players, including nine ladies, who form the core of the national pool.

That includes Aunzo, Bayron, Tanpinco, Chihiro Ikeda, Cyna Rodriguez and Dottie Ardina, the best players in the ranks today, who combined for 33 victories last year, including four team championships.

Aunzo ran away with seven titles, including the Karambunai Amateur Open and Sabah Amateur Open; Bayron, Tanpinco, Ikeda and Jobim Carlos had five each; Rodriguez had four; Ardina, Bino dela Paz, Louise Manalo and Mia Piccio had three each; while Bambee dela Paz and Sarah Ababa had two apiece.

Lopez said their 2008 campaign was special because a lot of players in the developmental pool managed to earn victories, including Ababa (Penang Amateur), Manalo (Sutera Open, Kau Sai Chau Amateur and Singapore Junior Championship), Bino dela Paz (Jungolf Tat Filipinas and Canlubang), Carlos (O’Donnel Junior Championship and Interschool Championship), BJ Miñoza, JR Quiatchon and Sheryl Villacencio.

He also took notice of Tonton Asistio’s impressive performance where the 19-year-old shotmaker scored victories in the Bay Regional Amateur Championship in the US, the Kau Sai Chau Amateur in Hong Kong and the Canlubang Amateur Open.

Lopez expects his wards to further shine this year with most of his junior players ready for bigger, tougher tournaments here and abroad even as he stressed the need to improve their short game.

“It will be all hard work because there is no short cut to success,” said Lopez.