MANILA, Philippines - The country’s best jungolfers vie for slots in the annual Junior World meet in San Diego, California in the 2014 Junior Championships which gets going today at The Country Club and Capitol Hills courses.
The Country Club in Canlubang, Laguna will host the four-day competitions in the 15-17 years, 13-14 and 11-12 age-groups while Capitol Hills in Diliman, Quezon City will serve as the venue for the 9-10 years bracket.
Kristoffer Arevalo, who completed a Philippine sweep of the 13-14 years class with Team ICTSI bet Pauline del Rosario last year, heads the 120-player field as they move up to the 15-17 years bracket still with the solid game they’ve been flashing since last year.
It will be a shootout in the centerpiece division with the likes of Miya Legaspi, Jelbert Gamolo, Rupert Zaragosa, Raymart Tolentino, Daniella Uy and Bianca Pagdanganan – all seasoned internationalists – joining the fray.
Most of the jungolf big names are accounted for in this second leg of the ICTSI Jungolf Summer Circuit. It is also supported by Martin Lorenzo, the Philippine Golf Foundation, Crystal Catx, Inquirer Golf, Golf Depot, Pacsports and Capitol Hills/Ayala.
The hosting agreement with TCC, site of the recent Solaire Open, was finalized by TCC general manager Colo Ventosa and Luigi Tabuena, president of the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines, as part of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. chairman and president Ricky Razon’s continuing support to junior golf.
Arevalo is actually assured of a slot for finishing among the top 5 in San Diego last year but will still vie in the event along with Uy, Legaspi and four others.
“TCC and Capitol Hills are challenging courses so this four-day competition will really bring out the best from the kids,†said Tabuena.
To be disputed are four slots each in the boys and girls events of the 15-17 group, three each in 13-14 years, four boys and three girls in 11-12 and three boys and two girls in 9-10.
Wei Yu Gao leads the Visayan challenge as one of the favorites in the boys 11-12 where Carl Corpuz and Jolo Magcalayo are also rated highly as well as Nicole Abelar and Junia Gabasa in the girls side.
The battles at Capitol Hills should be just as exciting with Josh Jorge, Sean Granada and Leandro Bagtas among the boys seeds and former world champion Bernice Ilas and Annyka Chanel Cayabyab leading the girls cast.