Joson, Lee cop Samsung national titles

MANILA, Philippines - Richard Joson of Royal Northwoods outgunned Valley Golf’s Adrian Mauricio and came away with a 3&2 victory to capture the 2011 Samsung National Tournament of Club Champions men’s championship at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club in Gen. Trias, Cavite over the weekend.

The second-seeded Joson kept the momentum of his impressive wins over Mt. Malarayat’s Gerald Katigbak, 5&4, and Cho Han Pyo of Eagle Ridge, 7&5, to frustrate Mauricio and crown himself the new champion of the annual tournament among winners of the country’s leading golf clubs.

Ayala Greenfields’ Mela Lee, on the other hand, steeled herself up in the down-to-the-wire battle for the ladies crown, nipping top seed Tina Gonzales of Orchard for a 1-up victory after 19 holes at the Faldo layout.

The win capped Lee’s stirring title run as the third ranked bet also edged No. 2 Olive Yoon of Mt. Malarayat, 1-up, to gain a crack at the title in the sixth staging of the event sponsored by Samsung and held in partnership with the Eagle Ridge GCC and its developers Sta. Lucia Realty and Alsons Land, Inc. and Inquirer Golf.

Top seed Lino Magpantay of Tagaytay Midlands, meanwhile, foiled Tomas Joson’s bid for a double by the Royal Northwoods bets as he churned out a 3&2 victory for the seniors plum in the tournament backed by Microtel as official hotel, Airphil Express, Mizuno, Glucoscare Tea, Footjoy and Titleist by Empire, Custom Clubmakers and Omnisource International.

Canlubang’s Joey Huerva dominated Rancho Palos Verdes’ Kuresh Samanodi, 7&6, to annex the men’s title in the special division for under-26 players while Canlubang’s Erika Mohiro held off AFP GC’s Matet Salivio, 1-up, to clinch ladies plum.

 All winners received Samsung Galaxy Tabs during awards rites graced by Odette Velarde, Samsung corporate marketing manager, and Eagle Ridge general manager Buddy Resurreccion while two round-trip tickets to Singapore, courtesy of AirPhil Express, were also raffled off.