Fore! Teen golfers face tall odds in SEA Games

SINGAPORE—The Philippines will gamble on a bunch of teenagers when the Southeast Asian Games golf competition tees off today at Sentosa Golf Club.

The team is being counted upon to upset its crack Thai rivals and duplicate, if not improve on, the country’s two-gold output in women’s individual and women’s team events two years ago in Naypyidaw, Burma (Myanmar).

However, the Filipinos will miss the services of defending individual champion Princess Superal, who skipped the qualifying after national golf officials failed to seed her into the team despite her status as the country’s top amateur parbuster.

“We have a strong team nonetheless. They are all young but very strong,” said PH chief of mission Julian Camacho.

Thirteen-year-old Harmie Constantino, who boasts of a 230-yard drive, spearheads the campaign along with Bianca Isabel Pagdanganan, 17, and Lou Daniella Uy, 18.

The men’s team is composed of 15-year-old Gao WeiWei, 16-year-old Dan Emilio Cruz, 17-year-old Ruperto Zaragosa and 15-year-old Aniceto Mandanas.

Meanwhile, Philippine chief of mission Julian Camacho confronted his Malaysian counterparts Monday following the country’s humiliating performance in netball, telling them they “are killing the sport.”

The basketball competition, the country’s stronghold for decades, begins today at OBCB Arena Hall 1.