Phl jungolf, foreign aces face off in Montecillo Cup

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Junior Open (The Montecillo) Golf Championships get going today at the Orchard’s Palmer layout with the country’s current junior golf stars heading the hosts’ title drive in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Marvi Monsalve, the recent Faldo Series Asia Final champion, Junior World winners Jed Dy and Miya Legaspi, Rupert Zaragosa and Princess Superal of the ICTSI-The Country Club team have confirmed participation in the country’s biggest jungolf event named after the late pioneer, Amalia Montecillo, of the junior golf program in the region.

Last year, Superal and Gio Gandionco captured the titles in the premiere Class A division. The other winners were Christopher Popp and Mikhaela Fortuna in Class C and Josh Jorge and Bernice Olivares-Ilas in Class D.

They’ll be up against the equally talented foreign field in all the age-group classifications, accounting for almost half of the cast coming from neighboring nations Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia as well as young golfers from Guam, Canada, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Sri Lanka.

Thailand, which collared the plum in the girls’ team competition last year behind Benyapa Niphatsophon and Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras, is sending its top four junior players who will vie for individual honors both in the girls and boys category that will put the local bets into a tough week.

“We have the best local juniors in the team and we’re looking forward to an exciting competition with our foreign guests at a world-class golf course which is Orchard,” said Luigi Tabuena, president of the organizing Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines.

There are 130 kids confirmed to participate in the tourney which has drawn the solid backing of the International Container Terminal Services, Inc., Philippine Golf Foundation, Pancake House, Duty Free, McDonald’s, Golf Depot, PacSports, Teriyaki Boy and Sizzlin’ Pepper, Fila and Orchard/Sta. Lucia Realty. 

The Acacia Hotel, now among the luxury residences in the Alabang business district, is the official hotel. 

The Montecillo tournament will be the second leg of the ICTSI-JGFP summer circuit that will feature nine events over two months, including qualifications for three major international meets.

After the Montecillo, the JGFP will host the Pancake House Junior World Qualifying also in April in three courses, the Faldo Series Asia Philippine qualifying and the US Kids World Championship local qualifier also at the Orchard and two summer circuits in Visayas and Mindanao.