PAL Interclub: Cebu dethrones Del Monte by eight

Bayani Garcia (left) , Joven Neri and Gio Gangiongco of the Cebu golf team celebrate after winning the 65th PAL interclub golf tournament in Davao city. Photo by Romy Homillada

DAVAO—With its young, homegrown squad ably handling the final round pressure, Cebu Country Club unseated Del Monte as Men’s champion Saturday and looked forward to a long reign as No. 1 in the PAL Interclub golf tournament.

Teenagers Gio Gandionco and LJ Go fired two-over-par 74s worth 34 points like Mark Dy as Cebu CC completed its swashbuckling triumph by pooling a closing 128 at the tree-lined Apo Golf here to finish eight points ahead of the Bukidnon bets.

Eric Deen’s 26 was the final score that counted for Cebu CC, which broke through the centerpiece event after three tries and, if it could keep the core of its team, will be very formidable next year with Cebu hosting.

“We will be hard to beat when we defend our title at home next year,” Cebu CC team leader Montito Garcia, whose 24 points failed to count, told reporters in the din of the celebration beside the 18th green after Gandionco, 16, holed out for a birdie to give the Cebuanos 507 points overall.

“What is clear after this tournament is that more clubs will be encouraged to tap junior golfers,” Garcia continued. “Like our players, who are all products of our club’s program.”

Del Monte’s defeat marked the second time in the history of the club that it failed to defend the championship it won at home.

“We had a good chance and I think we were one player short,” Del Monte skipper Yoyong Velez said. “But this will not stop us from trying, we still have a lot of good players back home.”

Clyde Mondilla, the pro-bound former national champion, also scored 34 points, and Bannie Abano added 33 as Del Monte amassed 127 counting the 31 each from Lawrence Cubillo and Noel Langamin. JJ Gamolo’s 25 was discarded.

As frustrated as Del Monte was Alabang, the first-round leader which topped scoring in the first, third and fourth rounds but finished third because of a lethargic 104-point production in the second round also at Apo.

Also made up mostly of age-group talents, Alabang closed out with 135 after getting 37 points from AR Ramos and 36 from lefty Andres Saldana but wound up six points behind Del Monte, which outscored them by 20 points in the second round.

Alabang eventually finished 14 off Cebu CC, which was playing in the main division for just the third time, but showed its potential by placing second to Del Monte last year.

Cebu made it to the main division after frolicking in the Founders class, where it holds an impressive record of nine titles in 11 editions.

Meanwhile, Wack Wack turned what was seen as a tight final round into a rout in Founders Division play also at Apo, tallying 123 for 476 overall and a 15-point victory over Orchard.

Matthew Manotoc and John Gobing both scored 32 for Wack Wack, which also drew 31 from EJ Marcelo and 28 from 14-year-old Gabriel Manotoc.

Orchard tallied a final round 112 on the strength of Allan Arcilla’s 31 even as Negros, getting 31 points from JR Tanpinco, finished third at 445 with a closing 105.

Camp John Hay was also victorious as Koreans Bong Jin-ho and Kim Hwa-rang scored 32 and 30, respectively, to power a closing 111 for 411 and a 23-point triumph over Eagle Ridge in the Sportswriters Division over at Rancho Palos Verdes.

Austral-Asian topped the Friendship class over British Columbia.
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