CLARK FIELD, Pampanga—The 69th edition of the PAL Interclub Men’s Championship has been hyped on two teams returning to the fold, Canlubang and Luisita, and on the best players in the country finally being able to play again.
Everyone, it seems, has forgotten to mention defending champion Manila Southwoods.
“Very good. Solid,” Jun Jun Plana, a long-time mainstay of the Carmona-based squad, told the Inquirer when asked how he rates their chances of repeating in the 72-hole event regarded as the country’s unofficial golf team championship.
“We have a solid core of young players and those with experience,” Plana went on as Southwoods tries to fend off all comers starting tomorrow at Mimosa’s Mountaview layout and composite Acacia and Lake View nines here.
“Basically, we have eight very reliable players that can stand up against the rest of the field,” Plana said.
National pool member Justin Quiban and newly minted club champion, 16-year-old Yuto Katsuragawa, banner Southwoods’ charge as the club welcomed the reversion to the open format and tapped its young players to take the cudgels for veteran club members who won in Cebu last year.
Ryan Monsalve, Brixton Aw and ex-pro Vince Lauron are the other notables in the Southwoods roster, which will try to deny the Sugar Barons and the Luisitans a triumphant return to the event.
Jobim Carlos and Rupert Zaragosa, who share a combined nine national titles counting the last two won by Carlos, will spearhead the Sugar Barons as they try to pick up where they left off when handicapping was applied in the championship division.
A young core built around Basti and Santi Lorenzo and Dan Cruz will be carrying the fight for the Luisitans, who are determined to win after their Seniors team led by former pro Eddie Bagtas fell short again Canlubang on Sunday.
Aidric Chan, Carl Corpuz, Carlo Villaroman and Gab Manotoc are the other young guns seeing action for Canlubang, which has also reactivated Abe Rosal.
Titles in the Founders, Aviators, Sportswriters and Friendship divisions will also be staked.
The Interclub is sponsored by People Asia, Travelife, Mareco Broadcasting Network (Crossover), Manila Broadcasting Corporation, Airbus, Business Mirror and Philippine National Bank. Other supporters are Inquirer, Inquirer.net, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, Tanduay Distillers, Asia Brewery, Splash Corporation, RFM Corporation, Goldilocks, Eastgate Publishing Corporation, Robinsons Land and Rolls-Royce.