Fil-Am golfer on the upswing

Fil-Am golfer Zach Espina Dea, an incoming pre-dentistry athletic scholar sophomore at Bellevue College in Washington, is gaining a reputation as one of the longest hitters in the US collegiate circuit and plans to eventually play on the Asian then the PGA Tour.

Last February, the 19-year-old Dea visited the Philippines for the first time and competed in the 24th W-Express RVF Cup at the Canlubang Golf and Country Club. He shot 79, 76, 76, 73 for 16th place in the tournament that featured 25 amateurs from the Philippines, South Korea and the US. Dea carded a total of 304 compared to champion Jolo Magcalayo’s 278. According to his grand-uncle Boy Blue Filomeno, Dea raised eyebrows with a 420-year drive, a 344-yard three-wood shot and a 300-yard, four-iron stinger.

“Zach spent much time in the rest room during his two-week stay in the Philippines because of diarrhea,” said Filomeno, a first cousin of Dea’s grandmother Cecily de Jesus. “He was adjusting to the food and environment and hardly practiced at the Canlubang course although it’s not an excuse. He found the tournament challenging because the style of play in the Philippines is entirely different from the US. Zach enjoyed his stay, seeing his Filipino relatives for the first time, visiting the country of his roots, eating pork adobo and meeting Filipino girls whom he thinks are cute.”

Dea’s mother Cookie is from Cebu and migrated to the US in the mid-1980s. His father Mark, an engineer, is a Hong Kong-born Chinese-American whose father is from Chicago and mother from Hawaii. Dea is the oldest of three children.

Dea started playing golf at two with his father as his first coach. At 12, he won the Washington State age-group championship. Dea starred for the Hazen Highlanders high school varsity and was team captain, Rookie of the Year and MVP of the North Puget Sound League. In the recent Seattle Amateur Championships, Dea placed 25th of 90 parbusters. He beat University of Washington starter Shamu Bodhidatta of Thailand by 12 strokes and Western Washington University No. 1 player Jordan Lee by 10.

In the Northwest Athletic Conference Championships in Dupont, Washington, last May, Dea led Bellevue to third place of 36 participating colleges. He shot an even par 72 to finish fifth overall in the individual standings and was named to the All-Tournament team. Dea’s Bellevue coach is Keith Mickie, three-time Forest Ridge School Coach of the Year and 2018 Northwest Coach of the Year.

“Ever since I was a little kid, my dream has been to play on the PGA Tour and be No. 1 in the world,” said the 5-10 Dea. “Since then, I’ve been determined to succeed in everything I do in order to get there even if it means working day in and day out and constantly pushing myself to be the best and this quality follows me on the course and in the classroom as I also strive to be one of the top students in my class.”

Filomeno, his adviser, said there’s no stopping Dea’s development. “Zach has enormous discipline and courage,” said Filomeno who was the organizing committee chairman of the Landbank Centennial 12-game one-on-one duel between grandmasters Eugene Torre and Joey Antonio with Anatoly Karpov as special guest in Manila in 1998. “Zach had to battle depression when his father had cancer but now he’s OK. His passion and focus for golf are one of a kind. He spends a lot of time in his studies and is an honor student. He plays on the greens two hours a day and several tournaments despite a low budget. He’s excited to turn pro but I advised him to finish his studies and get a degree first. Beginning February next year, hopefully, he can play in the Philippines until March.”

Playing for the Philippines is a goal. “I told Zach to continue being humble and patriotic,” said Filomeno. “Tiger Woods’ mother is an Asian from Thailand and Zach’s mom is also an Asian from the Philippines. Who knows? Maybe, Zach will be the next Tiger. Next year, he wants to play for an NCAA Division I school. After college graduation, he looks forward to play on the Asian Tour then the PGA. I counselled him to play for the Philippines in the SEA Games, Asian Games and Olympics, if given the chance. Zach will be busy with golf competitions in the US, Philippines and other countries. He wants to come back as often as he could to play in the Philippines.”