INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines—The debacle suffered by the Philippine Team in the 48th Putra Cup in Singapore two weeks ago has forced the hand of the National Golf Association of the Philippines to conduct another qualifying tournament for the World Amateur squad.

After finishing a distant third to eventual champion Singapore and Thailand, the governing NGAP abandoned plans to keep the team and instead will conduct a 72-hole qualifying as early as next week.

Had the Philippines, which was just six strokes behind the Singaporeans after 36 holes at the Bukit course of the Singapore Island Country Club, won the tournament, the NGAP would have kept the top three scorers for the Worlds scheduled in Australia.

The NGAP also promised team members that a second place finish would mean that the top two scorers for the Philippines would automatically take the first two slots in the World Am team.

Only three players will be sent Down Under with the tournament to use the three-to-play, four-to-count format.

A men’s and women’s squads will be sent to Adelaide, Australia for the Eisenhower and Espiritu Santo trophies scheduled in a two-week span from Oct. 8, with those teams battling the best in the globe.

The tryouts will start Sunday since a Sept. 11 deadline has been imposed by the organizers for the team lineups.

Reigning Philippine Amateur champion Ferdinand Aunzo, Philippine Open low amateur winner Jonnel Ababa, former junior ace Tonlits Asistio and rookie RP Team member Rufino Bayron made up the Putra Cup team that finished 24 strokes behind the Singaporeans.

The Philippines sat in second place at the end of each of the first three rounds before Thailand made a scorching final day charge by pooling an eye-popping 202 to beat the Filipinos by five shots for runner-up honors.

Asistio, the 19-year-old long-hitter, was the most consistent performer after finishing with a two-under 282 total. Ababa, who was slowed down by the flu since the second round, and Bayron wound up with identical 287 tallies.

The first 36 holes of the tryouts will be played at the Couples lay-out with the last two rounds to be held at the tough Langer course.