Intercollegiate golf starts

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo opens its title-retention bid as it hosts last year’s second place finisher College of St. Benilde in the 2010 Inter-Collegiate Golf Championship today at the Splendido Golf and Country Club in Tagaytay.

Two other matches will also commence in this home-and-away match play tournament backed by the Philippine Golf Foundation as third place La Salle takes on Lyceum of the Philippines, while University of the Philippines tangles with University of Asia and the Pacific.

La Salle will host Lyceum at Sherwood Hills, while UP will play UAP on its home turf at Forest Hills. Lyceum will have Orchard as its home, whileUAP has Midlands as its territory. CSB will have Cangolf.

Each match-up will have two-man teams playing head-to-head in the High Low and Best Ball formats. The top two teams after the home-and-away series will advance to the finals.

Familiar names will be carrying their school colors.

The players in the Blue Eagles’ championship team are team captain Gab Sanchez, Brainard Hao, Edsel Tan and Rocco Sumabat. CSB will be bannered by captain Jordan Mamaril, Marco Olives and Macmac Arevalo, while DLSU will be represented by captain Fern Zaldarriaga, Allan Guy, Gino Bunyi and Marvin Mendoza.

Lyceum will have vaunted Junior World medalist Wolen Superal. UP tries to break into the finals through captain Joanna Lim, Carlo Legazpi, Junjie Eustaquio and Miggy Gumila. The UAP team will have Kevin Cua, Raniel Hernandez, CJ Sembrano and Maika Dee.