New golf talents emerge in another winning season

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine junior golf is on the upswing with new talents culled from a busy tournament program that has kept them competitive all year long.

Renewed interest in jungolf came on the heels of intensified efforts by the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines (JGFP) to organize as many tournaments as possible in collaboration with public and private golf clubs and a steady stream of sponsors led by the International Container Terminal Services, Inc..

There is no better highlight to another productive year than a nationwide competition that featured no less than 300 players who proudly represented their respective schools in an exciting development that JGFP officials hope would influence more academic institutions to lend a hand to talent search.

As a result, local kids have also kept a high level of confidence in the international scene. This  is evidenced by the victories of Jed Dy and Bernice Olivarez-Ilas who capped one of the strongest performances in the annual Junior World Championships in San Diego, California last July.

Miya Legaspi spent the year collecting trophies here and abroad as well, teaming up with Felicia Medalla in winning the team event of the Singha Thailand Junior World. Princess Superal claimed the Malaysian Junior Open, Sunshine Burberry Zhang ruled the Kids Golf World Malaysia and Abby Arevalo delivered a victory late in the season by topping the US Kids Holiday Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

“We’re looking at a possible talent boom in the next couple of years, it’s just a matter of keeping them competitive,” said JGFP president Luigi Tabuena.

Names that have cropped up are the likes of Miggy Yee, Rupert Zaragosa, LJ Go, Felicia Medalla, Raymart Tolentino, Missy Legaspi, Daniella Uy, Chanelle Avaricio, JP del Claro, Marvi Monsalve, Sam Martirez, Kristoffer Arevalo, Sophia Chabon, Aidric Chan, Jelbert Gamolo, Rainstar Roque, Harmie Constantino, Miguel Ilas, Javi Lazatin, Sunshine Zhang, Anya Cedo and Ken Shibata.

Gamolo, Chabon and Roque are talents being supported by the foundation the eminent Frankie Miñoza formed as a way of giving back to the game that has made him one of the country’s most successful athletes of all time.

Lazatin and Zhang, meanwhile, are standouts of The Junior Golfers League handled by Chona dela Paz which is also contributing a lot to the promotion of junior golf.

In recent years, the JGFP program has opened the doors of opportunity to a US education for local standouts like Jennifer Rosales and Cyna Rodriguez (University of Southern California), Javyie Agojo (Pepperdine U), Beverly Mendoza (Texas Tech), Maan Legaspi (University of Virginia), Bambee Dela Paz (University of Cincinnati) sisters Debbie (Texas Tech), Angela (Gonzaga U) and Linnel de Villa (California State-San Marcos), Jobim Carlos (University of San Francisco), Nico Evangelista (Johnson and Wales University) and Gio Gandionco (Sta Clara University). Andie Unson is attending Pepperdine U next year.