A stellar field led by the country’s brightest young talents and some of its past aces tees off today in the 2014 Philippine Amateur Match Play championship presented by the MVP Sports Foundation at Orchard Golf and Country Club in Dasmariñas, Cavite.
Past champion Rupert Zaragosa, the entire Orchard squad that won the PAL Interclub last February, and former pro Eddie Bagtas are among the players to watch at the world-class Palmer layout.
The first two days will be stroke play to determine the 32 men who will advance to the match play proper of the event also backed by Pancake House, Golf Depot and Pacsports as part of the PLDT Group Amateur Tour.
Bagtas will be playing just his second big amateur event since reverting back to the amateurs this season, having helped Luisita annex the Senior crown in the PAL Interclub in Bacolod.
The seasoned King Stehmeier, TJ Benitez and Raymund Sangil—stalwarts of the Orchard crew that humbled Cebu, Del Monte and Alabang for the Interclub title also in Bacolod—enjoy course familiarity and are expected to easily advance to the match-play stages.
Cebu-based Japanese Gen Nagai is also entered together with national pool members Gabriel Manotoc and Justin Quiban, who are both fresh off impressive stints in the recent Junior Am at Sherwood Hills, and Raymart Tolentino.
Zaragosa won this event three years ago as a 13-year-old.