APGA to stage $.2-M Casino Filipino Open

The Asian PGA Tour will stage the Casino Filipino golf championship as scheduled on Feb. 17-20, taking over the slot reserved for the Philippine Open in the regional tour's calendar in the season after efforts to settle the alleged dispute between the National Golf Association of the Philippines and the Manila Southwoods ended in a stalemate.

A source said the NGAP was reported to have refused to approve the staging of the Philippine Open at the Manila Southwoods this year after the management of the Carmona layout allegedly failed to settle its annual dues to the golf body covering the period of 1993-97.

With the NGAP, which owns the rights to the Philippine Open, backing out of the project, the Asian PGA had to proceed with the event so as not to disrupt the schedule of this year's Davidoff Tour.

The Casino Filipino golfest serves as the second leg of this year's Davidoff Tour, which kicks off its 2000 season with the staging of the Benson & Hedges Malaysian Open on Feb. 3-10.

The four-day championship, which is expected to draw the best players in the region and big guns of the local tour, will be launched at 12 noon today at the Heritage Hotel.

Casino Filipino put in close to $275,000 to sponsor last year's Philippine Open, which was also held at Southwoods' Masters layout where South Korean Anthony Kang humbled a talent-laden field that included top Filipino players Frankie Miñoza and Cassius Casas.

However, since the NGAP has a five-year contract with the APGA for the staging of the Philippine Open, the same source added that the country's premier golf championship will still be held as part of the Davidoff Tour late this year.