CEBU, Philippines - February 14 will not only be a day of the hearts at Alta Vista Golf and Country Club as six titles are at stake on that day in the Tournament of Aces finals at the AVGCC course in Pardo, Cebu City.
The battle for supremacy in classes A, B, and C as well as the ladies final will be played over 36 holes. The final matches for the seniors’ (55 to 69 years old) and the super seniors (70 years old and above) will be an 18-hole showdown.
Defending champion Weiwei Gao tests the mettle of Korean Kim Kwang Seok in the class A final. Gao, 15 years old, made it to the final after beating Dr. Rey Dira in thje quarterfinals, 1-up and then beat Jun Zambo, 4-up with 3 holes to go in the semis.
Kim scored a 3 and 1 win over Victor Gocela in the quarterfinals then beat 13-year-old Weiyu Gao, Weiwei’s younger brother, in the semis 1-up to earn the championship berth.
For class B, eighth-seed Kim Taehwan faces Ferdinand Chua in the final match. Kim beat topseed Archie Villa in the quarterfinals, 2 and 1, then edged Jun Mendoza in the semifinals, 1-up after an extra hole.
Chua topped Benjie Hortelano, 3 and 2, and then defeated Richard Lim, 3 and 1, to advance to the championship.
Doctor Albert Solis will have to set aside triathlons for a day as he battles Sergio Gonzalez for the class C plum. Solis, topped Lawrence Chian 6 and 4 in the quarterfinals then defeated giant-slayer Oscar Sanchez in the semis, 2-up to earn a championship ticket. Sanchez was the eighth-seed and he defeated favorite Jun Sasuman in the quarterfinals.
Gonzalez stopped Richard Tan 6 and 5 then drubbed Erik Lapasaran Lim 3-up.
It will be a battle of young guns for the ladies final with topseed Junia Gabasa facing Weifang Gao for the title. Gabasa is 13 years old while Gao is 11.
What is perhaps the most anticipated match in the final in the seniors’ division pitting Ramon Sebastian against Razi Razon.
Sebastian, who qualified third, beat Rolando Alberto 4 and 3 in the quarterfinals and then edged fellow club director Inting Go in the semis, 2 and 1, to advance.
Razon, skipper of the club’s senior team to next week’s PAL Interclub, qualified fourth and stopped Loloy Sabuga 6 and 5 and top see Masahisa Kawakami 3 and 2 to advance.
In the superseniors class, Rolly Santos faces Korean Jack Lee in the final match-up.— (PR from fullpointcebu.com)