Aboitiz Invitational

The country’s best golfers and the best of the Asian Development Tour are going to converge here next week for the Aboitiz Invitational 2012 at Cebu Country Club.

The tournament is the lone professional event that is played in Cebu unless I have been sleeping and did not notice the others.

Colo Ventosa of the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tour Incorporated said that the top 50 in their order of merit will be seeing action in the 54-hole tournament as well as the players hoping to make it to the top three in the ADT that would qualify them for the Asian Tour.

The ADT rules state that those in the top 60 of the Asian Tour are disqualified from joining, but Filipinos like Juvic Pagunsan, Angelo Que, Mars Pucay, and Antonio Lascuña will still get a chance to see action as they are in the PGTI order of merit.

A pro-am event is set on Tuesday as based on the information relayed to me by Carol Ballesteros of Aboitiz, the teams will be composed of four amateurs and one pro.

This is different from last year where a team was composed of three amateurs and a pro.

After the pro-am event, the first round of the tournament follows on Wednesday and after Thursday’s second round those who will make it to the final round will be known.

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Jay Bayron, who was the pro in our team last year, is the defending back-to-back champion of this tournament. 

There must be something about Cebu that makes him win here, but last Monday when I got a chance to play with Jay along with Manila Bulletin’s Rey Bancod, he said that the greens are tough and that defending the title will also be tough.

While I normally feel uncomfortable playing with top players, you can never feel that way with Jay in your company.

Last year, our team that also had the father and son duo of Joey and Joseph Stevens did not do too bad, but also didn’t do enough to win.

We were hoping to get a chance to play again in one flight, but Joey has passed on. 

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The quest for the elusive gold continues for the Philippines in the London Olympics, but our chances are dwindling with two of our athletes already out of the running as of this writing.

Swimmer Jessie Khing Lacuna and weightlifter Hidilyn were first to fall.

Lacuna finished fifth in his heat for the 200-M freestyle while Diaz failed in all her three attempts for the clean and jerk after doing 97 kilograms in the snatch.

She landed 12th in a field of 18.

Our best chance for a gold medal should come from boxing, but this time we only have Davaoeño Mark Anthony Barriga as the lone bet to have qualified for the Games. He is set to face Italy’s Manuel Cappai and as you are reading this, the bout shall have already been finished.

Let us keep on rooting and praying for our athletes. Go Philippines!

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MILESTONES: Belated birthday greetings to Monday’s celebrants like my buddy Carl Senen Veloso, Aurelio Vilbar, Golet Arancillo, Raquel Soliano-Espinosa, and Andrew Teh.

The same goes to those who turned a year older yesterday like Ronnie Prescillas, Joey Catan, and my fellow PMA Cebu Squad members Marlon Mesina and Kenneth Rosalejos.

Today’s greetings go to my Tao brother Aaron Mangoroban, Chester Benedict Go, Kathy Gloria, and The FREEMAN photographer Cyril Camporedondo.

More power to all of you! - THE FREEMAN