Phl Junior Am unwraps at Sherwood tomorrow

MANILA, Philippines - Rupert Zaragosa banners a crack local roster facing a handful of challengers from Singapore, Malaysia, Korea and Japan in the Philippine Junior Amateur Open championship which unfolds tomorrow at Sherwood Hills in Trece Martirez, Cavite.

With Gio Gandionco unable to come home and defend his crown because of school commitments in the US, Zaragosa has been installed as the top pick to rule the 72-hole championship presented by the MVP Sports Foundation as part of the PLDT Group Amateur Tour.

A number of other notable junior campaigners who qualified for the Callaway Junior World Championships this year like AR Ramos, Raymart Tolentino and Gabriel Manotoc and Basti Lorenzo are also in the fold along with five Korean expats.

Meanwhile, Pamela Mariano, a product of the Frankie Miñoza program in Bukidnon, will shoot for a second straight victory in the girls’ side of the event. She will have to contend with the very formidable ICTSI stable that will be bannered by the seasoned Princess Superal and Pauline del Rosario.

Rainstar Roque, another Miñoza program find, is also in the field along with sisters Samantha and Gabriel Bruce. Superal, Felicia Medalla, Daniella Uy, Bianca Pagdanganan and new ICTSI recruit Abegail Arevalo will also represent the Philippines in the Worlds in San Diego.

Meanwhile, the Putra Cup will also be played in June at Sherwood Hills, named as the organizing National Golf Association of the Philippines’ official home as the Philippines seeks to regain lost glory in the Southeast Asian region.

“The NGAP will also take a very close look at all the Filipino entries as we will use this event to determine some of the members of the Lion City Cup team,” said NGAP president Tommy Manotoc as the NGAP also assembles a team for the junior Putra Cup squad.

Zaragosa is the most successful amateur in the past two years, having won both the boys’ and men’s match play championships in 2011 as a 14-year-old.

Uy, Pagdanganan and Arevalo are also in the fold in the event backed by Pancake House, Golf Depot, Nike and Pacsports with Microtel Cavite as the official residence of the foreign bets.