JOBIM Carlos, on vacation from his studies in the United States, is installed as the top choice when the WWW-Express DHL Amateur Golf Championship tees off tomorrow on a course that has been his home the previous two years.
Carlos will be playing just his second tournament this year at the Cangolf’s North course in Laguna since accepting a golf scholarship at the University of San Francisco.
He first played in the Philippine Amateur Open in January and finished second to Fil-Singaporean Gregory Foo at the North course, where he honed his skills playing for Canlubang in the Philippine Airlines Interclub.
And while Carlos will be chasing his first Open championship in the country, Lovelyn Guioguio will shoot to win the event for the second straight year basically against the same field she conquered last season.
Members of the Frankie Miñoza Golf Foundation, headed by Reymon Jaraula, Magno Arancon and Noel Langgamin, Southwoods’ Miggy Yee and AR Ramos, Andres Saldaña of Alabang and Cangolf’s Joey Huerva are also in the men’s field.
Guioguio faces stiff opposition from the returning Jayvie Agojo, Princess Superal and tested internationalist Dottie Ardina, among others.
Ardina and Superal are coming off victories in Kuala Lumpur where they ruled the 18- and 15-under divisions, respectively.
The event serves as the second leg of the NGAP-Globe Amateur Golf Circuit and the first under new NGAP president Tommy Manotoc. Globe Telecom is the main presentor of the year-round circuit sanctioned and organized by the NGAP.
The NGAP will also hold the boys’ and girls’ match play championships, the Visayas and Mindanao regionals and the national boys and doubles championships, the junior amateur open, among others.