BACOLOD — With its final roster coming out on a mission, Manila Southwoods was a class by itself and yesterday reclaimed the Philippine Airlines Men’s Interclub title with a performance that left the Championship division field eating its dust.
Yuto Katsuragawa got back at tree-lined Marapara with a three-under-par 67 worth 39 points, fellow Japanese Aguri Iwasaki fired 36 and Santino Laurel and Josh Jorge accounted for 34 and 33, respectively as the Carmona-based squad closed out with a whopping 142 points for 504 overall and a 22-point win over Del Monte.
“I’m just so happy that the boys responded the way they did,” non-playing Southwoods skipper Thirdy Escano said after steering the squad back to the top and putting that sorry loss to Cebu CC last year behind.
“We were really expecting to win (this year), and what made it doubly joyful was how the players bounced back today,” Escano added, referring to woeful scores that Katsuragawa, with 30, Laurel (21) and Jorge (28), submitted in a quiet opening round on Wednesday.
So in-tune was Southwoods that it discarded the 30 of the veteran Jun Jun Plana in winning for the fifth time in the last six years.
Dan Cruz scored 37 points and Jhondie Quibol 32 to lead Luisita’s final round 126, as Del Monte checked in third, 26 points behind the Luisitans after a 120 led by the 33 points of the veteran Raul Minoza.
Former US NCAA standout Jude Eustaquio assembled 34 points over at Binitin in Murcia town as Forest Hills closed out with 122 for a one-point win over Tagaytay Highlands in the rain-shortened and hotly-contested Founders Division.
Bong Brobio had 30 points and Dennis Nicomedes and Rodel Mangulabnan chipped in with 29 apiece as Forest Hills tallied a 54-hole 356 total.
Junro Mamaril paced Tagaytay Highlands with 34 and Ale Stehmeier had 32 with Gabriel Macalaguim and former PBA player RJ Rizada shooting 31 and 28, respectively, to make up the squad’s 125.
Riviera Golf rallied with 130 points built around the 34 of Jek Mendoza for a 351 tally, three points ahead of dethroned overall champion Cebu Country Club, which managed just 123.
Hosted by Philippine Airlines, the international event is backed by platinum sponsors Asian Air Safari, Vanguard Radio Network, Fox Networks Group, Radio Mindanao Network, Inc., Asian Journal Publications Philippines, Inc., Auto Nation Group, Inc. (Mercedes Benz), and SMDC.
Major sponsors include The Boeing Company, University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network, Avolon Aerospace Singapore Pte Ltd, Manila Broadcasting Company, Primax Broadcasting, Rolls-Royce Singapore Pte Ltd, CIGNAL TV Inc., Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. (Resorts World), and Airbus.
Other supporters are Uniglobe Travelware Co., Inc. (The Travel Club), Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. (Manila Standard), Officine Corporation, GE Aviation, SEDA Hotels, BDO Unibank, Smart Communications, Inc., People Asia Magazine, A+E Networks Asia (History), Allianz PNB Life, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Tanduay Brands, Rockwell Land Corporation, Petron Corporation, Splash Corporation, AB Heineken Philippines Inc., and Asia Brewery Inc. – Summit.
Complete scores after four rounds:
CHAMPIONSHIP
Manila Southwoods 504 (122-115-125-142), Luisita Golf & Country Club 482 (117-104-135-126), Del Monte Golf Club 456 (106-124-106-120)
FOUNDERS
Forest Hills Golf & Country Club 356 (118-116-0-122), Tagaytay Highlands 355 (115-115-0-125), Riviera Golf 351 (113-108-0-130), Cebu Country Club 348 (116-109-0-123), Valley Golf CC 347 (111-113-0-123), The Orchard Golf & Country Club 342 (116-103-0-123), Negros Occidental Golf & Country Club Inc 333 (104-111-0-118), Alabang Golf Team 321 (104-95-0-122), Villamor Airbase Golf Club 311 (105-103-0-103), Sta Elena 307 (100-94-0-113), Southern California Redhawks 305 (91-108-0-106), Fil-Am Fairway Golf Club 247 (69-76-0-102), Apo Golf & Country Club Team A 247 (76-74-0-97), Fil Am Golf Tour Team 1 246 (66-90-0-90),Wack Wack Golf & Country Club 194 (93-101-0-0), Engineers & Architects Golf League (EAGLE) 153 (61-53-0-39)
AVIATOR
Manila Golf & Country Club 430 (105-95-116-114), Sherwood Hills Golf Club 425 (110-107-107-101), Rancho Palos Verde Team 1 404 (96-96-107-105), Eagle Ridge 403 (96-106-101-100), Zamboanga Golf 402 (98-95-107-102), Club Filipino Inc De Cebu 400 (104-89-109-98), Bacolod Golf 394 (87-96-106-105), Pueblo De Oro Golf & Country Club 380 (83-104-107-86), Alta Vista Golf & Country Club 370 (93-86-95-96), Summit Point 367 (85-95-100-87), Fairways and Bluewater 362 (95-100-84-83), Mactan Island Golf Course 350 (98-75-94-83), Camp John Hay Golf Club 349 (76-83-91-99),UP Tee Jots 342 (100-81-79-82), Iloilo Golf & Country Club 340 (93-82-80-85), Negros Occidental Golf & Country Club Juniors 314 (78-69-70-97), Team Brookside 309 (80-66-90-73), Philippine Navy Golf Club 294 (84-77-66-67), SF Maharlika Golf Team 288 (63-90-62-73), Eagle Ridge Lagitek 260 (71-75-59-55)
SPORTSWRITERS
Guinhalaran Golf 376 (94-95-93-94), Team IMG - Tagaytay Midlands 342 (77-89-78-98), Rancho Palos Verde Team 2 342 (82-89-72-99), Filipino Golfers in the Middle East – Dubai 337 (86-89-80-82), Britanikka Golf Team 2 327 (71-81-82-93), Davao City Golf Club (DCGC) Team A 326 (80-76-86-84), Fil Am Fairfield 314 (92-79-66-77), San Juanico Golf Park & Country Club 313 (83-94-64-72), South Cotabato Golf & Country Club 310 (62-82-73-93), Lumbia Golf 307 (67-74-72-94), Camp Evangelista Golf 301 (80-64-73-84), Fil Am Hawaii 297 (65-90-64-78), South Pacific 276 (73-63-47-67), Washington DC Golf Team 250 (69-57-67-57), Veterans Golf 240 (59-79-25-77), Davao City Golf Club (FTB) Team B 226 (57-59-37-73), Leyte Golf & Country Club 221 (41-75-42-63), Cotabato Golf 180 (54-49-20-57), Paraiso Golf Players Association 150 (33-45-23-49), Yokohama Eagles 148 (51-50-5-42)
FRIENDSHIP
Britanikka Golf Team 1 286 (98-81-0-107), PGA British Columbia 242 (83-80-0-79), Sarangani Golf 234 (79-66-0-89), Seattle Golf Club 224 (69-78-0-77), Pearl Kai Hawaii 223 (77-55-0-91), MSU Marawi Golf & Country Club 219 (79-59-0-81), Golf & Country Club of Iligan, Inc. 216 (76-61-0-79), Lanang Golf 213 (73-64-0-76), Van City Golf Club 211 (86-66-0-59), West Highlands Golf 207 (63-56-0-88), Filipino Golfers in the Middle East – U.A.E 199 (66-53-0-80), Apo Golf & Country Club Team B 198 (75-58-0-65), Greenhills West 192 (76-67-0-49), Green Tee Club (GTC) Riyadh 185 (75-39-0-71), Phil-Malaysia Team 174 (69-48-0-57), Pinoy Vancouver Golf 173 (59-62-0-52), Phil-UK 170 (65-49-0-56), Fil-Am Fair Way Golf Club 2 164 (52-65-0-47), Mt. Malindang Golf & Country Club 164 (63-48-0-53), Baguio Golf & Country Club 162 (52-47-0-63), New Zealand Black Tees 159 (55-39-0-65), Silicon Valley Golfers Link 130 (34-29-0-67), Fil Am Golf Tour Team 2 112 (45-27-0-40), Fil Oz Sydney 107 (40-24-0-43)