Marapara plays longer, tougher

MANILA, Philippines - With strong rains the past two days, the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club, formerly Marapara, will play tougher when the Philippine Airlines Ladies Interclub gets going tomorrow in Bacolod.

The downpour has rendered the fairway soggy, making the course play a lot longer than its 5,500-plus yards from the regular ladies tees as premium now will not only be on accuracy because of its tree-lined fairways, but also length off the mounds.

There will be a total of 18 teams seeing action with Southwoods Masters shooting for a fifth straight title.

Abegail Arevalo, a winner of two international tournaments in different continents this year, has been added to the SW-Masters lineup and looms as one of the top picks for the individual title.

Sofia Chabon, also a member of Team The Country Club like Arevalo, and Missy Legaspi are just three of the bets that the Carmona-based squad can count on in its quest to extend its historic reign.

Cebu Country Club, which finished second just a stroke behind at Alta Vista in Cebu last year, still remains as the chief rival with a team built around Lois Kaye Go.

The Marapara layout has been one of the toughest tests in golf in the country and if the fairways don’t harden in the next two days, the players will be struggling to find greens in regulation, especially the last two holes.

Aside from the championship division, titles will also be at stake in the Founders, Sportswriters and Friendship divisions.

The other participating clubs are the Alabang Country Club, Apo Golf and Country Club, Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club, Bacolod Golf and Country Club, Manila Golf Club, Iloilo Golf Ladies Club, Manila Southwoods Masters, Negros Occidental Golf Club, Pueblo de Oro Golf Team, Rancho Palos Verdes Golf Club, Valley Golf Club, Victorias Golf and Country Club, Wack Wack Golf and Country Club, Del Monte Golf Club, Eagle Ridge (Ladies Group), Davao City Golf and the Club Lady Eagles Australian Golfers – the only foreign-based squad.

A team captains’ meeting will be held at 9 a.m. today followed by the ceremonial tee-off and captains’ tournament.

The event is sponsored by the Mareco Broadcasting Network (Crossover), Travelife, Business Mirror, Airbus, Splash Philippines, Wealth Inc. and East Gate Publication.