Barons gun for 8th PAL seniors title

MANILA, Philippines - A hundred teams, led by arch rivals Canlubang and Luisita, will slug it out for top honors in the seniors division of the 67th Philippine Airlines Interclub golf championship which unfolds next Thursday in two courses in Bacolod City.

The Sugar Barons will be shooting for their eighth championship overall and fourth straight and they will try to pull it off even with Tommy Manotoc likely to sit it out for the second straight year.

Luisita, meanwhile, is expected to unveil a new find in former touring pro Eddie Bagtas, giving the Tarlac-based squad, which dominated the annual event before Canlubang won seven of the last eight editions, added depth.

The last time Luisita won this event was also in Bacolod four years ago as Francis Gaston, the former national and senior champion, outdueled Manotoc in a thrilling finale.

Marapara and Binitin will again play hosts this year, including in the centerpiece Men’s Regular, which starts Feb. 26.

Cebu Country Club is eyeing for a third straight championship in the premier division but not with the same powerhouse squad that won the last two in Cebu last year and in Davao in 2012.

This year’s Interclub is sponsored by CrossOver with Boeing, Philippines Graphic, Stargate Media (People Asia) and Rogue as corporate backers. Also lending support are Airbus, Business Mirror, One Mega Group (Travel Now), Philippine Broadcasting Corporation, Manila Broadcasting Corporation and Manila Bulletin.

A total of 77 teams – some of them coming from the United States, the Middle East, Australia and Canada, are entered in the Men’s division.

Mark Dy turned pro last year and Lloyd Jefferson Go, who won the NGAP’s Philippine Amateur championship last month, is in the United States on a golfing scholarship.

Cebu CC, incidentally, is looming as the darkhorse in the Senior championship with a team backstopped by Montito Garcia, Clifford Celdran and Jeric Hechanova.