As title defense starts, Cangolf starters remain a mystery

Canlubang opens defense of its PAL Interclub Senior title on Wednesday, with the Sugar Barons keeping their cards close to their chest as far as their first round roster is concerned.

“We’re still determining our starters,” nonplaying skipper Tony Olives said as the Barons took the Tuesday off after sampling both the Alta Vista and Club Filipino de Cebu courses the last two days.

“We want to come up with balanced teams for all four days,” he said. “Of course, the lineups for the succeeding days will also depend on how our first [day] team performs.”

Canlubang is in for a tough ride in its defense, with archrival Luisita shoring up its roster by adding former pro Demy Saclot in lieu of Jingy Tuason.

“They’re still a very strong team,” Olives said as the Luisitans, who will be led anew by Eddie Bagtas.

First day action will be held at Alta Vista, a picturesque layout carved out of a mountain which returning Cangolf ace Tommy Manotoc describes as a risk-reward type of a course.

“You can gamble on Alta Vista and get rewarded for it,” said Manotoc, who will play for the first time in three years owing to pressing family commitments in the United States. “You can also miss a little and pay a lot.”

Abe and Rufino Rosal will lead Cangolf, which will try to come up with a better start this year and avoid having to come from behind the way it did last year in Bacolod.