PAL Interclub tees off

BACOLOD—Cebu Country Club opens its “three-peat” bid in the Philippine Airlines Interclub Men’s championship division Wednesday not in the highest gear as most would think.

The Cebuanos will open up at the Binitin layout in Murcia town with a rookie and a second-timer, strategizing this early to be able to field its best five when the centerpiece divisions plays its two rounds at the more difficult Marapara course.

“Our ninth and 10th guys are playing just well,” team official Jeric Hechanova, speaking on behalf of playing skipper Ramontito Garcia, told the Inquirer over the phone after baring that rookie Harvey Sytiongsa and Japanese Kiyofumi Takahashi will see action together with Gen Nagai, Jovi Neri and ex-pro Carl Almario.

“We’re fielding the two (today) so we can be five-strong at Marapara,” Hechanova added as Garcia, Eric Deen, Bayani Garcia, Marko Sarmiento and Andre Borromeo come out tomorrow to tackle the wind-swept layout.

Sytiongsa is a 17-year-old product of the Cebu CC grassroots program, while Takahashi first saw action in 2010 and did quite well but faded out of the lineup “after losing focus on his game,” according to Hechanova.

They will be asked to fill in big shoes in Mark Dy and Lloyd Jefferson Go’s, two aces that helped the Cebuanos rule this event the last two years in convincing fashion.

Dy turned pro just weeks after Cebu CC won last year, while Go, who won the Philippine Amateur title in runaway style last month, is in the United States on scholarship.

Del Monte, Alabang and Orchard are the squads that the Cebunaos think have legitimate chances of foiling their bid.

Del Monte will be taking the lineup that basically gave them the title three years ago in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, with Magno Arancon spearheading the squad even as Andres Saldaña plays his last amateur event as he tries to steer Alabang to its first title here.

Saldaña finished a fighting second to Rupert Zaragosa in last week’s 19th WExpress-DHL championship and Alabang will be made up of some of the brightest young stars in the land counting Justin Quiban, Basti Lorenzo and Gabriel Manotoc.

Orchard looms as the darkhorse with a seasoned roster led by King Stehmeier and Jik-Jik Abdon.

There are very few teams that won three straight championships, with the last to pull it out being the rock-solid Canlubang squad early in the last decade.

(NOTES: This year’s Interclub is co-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 Corp., Manila Broadcasting Corp. and Manila Bulletin.)