Wide-open DHL Amateur tees off at Cangolf

CANLUBANG—A wide-open battle looms in both the men’s and ladies’ divisions of the WWWExpress-DHL Amateur golf championship which tees off today at the tough North course of the Canlubang golf complex here.

With Jobim Carlos out of the equation and reigning national champion Ruperto Zaragosa recovering from a recent hospitalization, there will be no clear-cut favorite in men’s play.

Lovelyn Guioguio, who shoots for a repeat romp in the ladies division, will be challenged by her ICTSI stablemates like Jayvie Agojo and Princess Superal.

Carlos is in the United States—contrary to a report issued by the tournament’s media arm on Sunday—and will actually start playing for the University of San Francisco in an NCAA event starting today.

“Jobim would have loved to play because the DHL is a special event that he came close to winning once,” Jobim’s father told the Inquirer.

Zaragosa, meanwhile, has been out of the game for almost a month now. He checked out of a hospital two weeks ago after accidentally drinking tainted rehydrating fluid.

With the two Canlubang stalwarts and the veterans Clyde Mondilla and Art Arbole out of the picture, a bevy of less-heralded bets will dispute the title in the 72-hole event.

Among them are Del Monte aces Reymon Jaraula, Magno Arancon and Noel Langamin, as well as Alabang mainstays Andres Saldaña and AR Ramos and the long-hitting Miggy Yee.

Saldaña, a lefty, proved his worth in the last Interclub in Davao as he and Ramos helped power Alabang to a third-place finish.

Globe Telecom is the main presentor of the year-round 11-stage circuit sanctioned and organized by the NGAP.

The NGAP, now headed by Tommy Manotoc, linked up with Globe Telecom late last year to launch the new amateur circuit.