NATIONAL team mainstay Jobim Carlos sets out for a second successive Meralco National Doubles Amateur (Closed) Championship crown with new partner Jonar Austria when the event is held Dec. 26 to 28 at Wack Wack Golf Country Club in Mandaluyong.
Also expected to vie for top honors is defending champion and national team player Raymond Gonzales, who has linked up with junior golfer Gabriel Manotoc.
Others hoping to reign in the three-day event—which features two-ball (foursome) in the first day, four-ball (best ball) in the second and aggregate scoring in the final round—are Rupert Zaragosa and jungolfer partner JP De Claro, and the tandems of LJ Go and Edzel Tan and Lawrence Celestino and Kenneth Kano.
Celestino is coming off a victory in the recent Philex NGAP Northern Luzon Regionals.
The tournament, organized by the National Golf Association of the Philippines and sponsored by Pancake House, Titleist by Empire Golf, Pacsports and Golf Depot, serves as the final leg of the Globe Business Amateur Circuit.
The pre-tournament favorite in the ladies event is Southern Ladies champion Princess Superal who will team up with jungolfer Daniella Uy, already the winner of the ladies tournament in the recent regionals.
“I’d like to thank Globe Business for its all-out support to this year’s amateur circuit, which kept our top amateurs and rising stars busy the whole season,” said NGAP president Tommy Manotoc.
Wack Wack is making the course available on Dec. 24 for practice rounds starting at 10 a.m. upon payment of appropriate fees.
Other titles to be disputed are Group II (minimum handicap of 5.1), and Group III (mid-amateur, 40 years old).