BACOLOD, Philippines — Senior play, which takes the lid off of the 76th edition of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) Interclub today, will have the Championship division playing the tree-lined Marapara on the first and last rounds and Binitin in the middle two with lift-clean-and-place in effect because of rains here the past few days.
Del Monte will be defending its maiden Senior crown, and Luisita non-playing captain Jeric Hechanova believes that the Bukidnon club is still the team to beat, with the Del Monte course in Bukidnon playing slightly similar to Marapara.
“And they have an intact line-up,” Hechanova said. “So there’s no doubt that they are the favorites.”
Del Monte ran away with its breakthrough title last year in Cagayan de Oro, winning by 17 points over Canlubang. The Yoyong Velez-skippered squad took an 18-point lead into last year’s final round and was never threatened, and that’s something that Hechanova feels will be key again this year.
“If we are going to contend for the title, we need to have a sizeable lead going into the final day at Marapara,” he said. “Otherwise, catching up on this course will be very hard to do in the final round.”
Canlubang is the third team seen as a force for the title. Led by Abe Rosal, the Sugar Barons have the second-most number of titles in the 55-years-old and above category after the Luisitans.
“It’s a very wide-open tournament from where I see it,” Rosal said.