Rancho Palos Verdes is the first modern golf course constructed in the Davao City limits. Built by the Sta. Lucia Realty Corporation on the top of a ridge in what used to be a pomelo plantation in Barangay Mandug/Indangan, Buhangin District some thirteen kilometers outside the city proper, the course is a must-play for any golfer worth his salt on a visit to this fair city.

The 18-hole course was designed by the renowned design firm of Andy Dye, whose creations have captured the attention of golfers across the country who are as appalled by their difficulty as they are swayed by their beauty. Completed in 2001, the course has a feel mature beyond its years. The old growth rainforest and verdant vegetation that border the fairways have much to do with this. This feel is echoed by the tee boxes, which are really quite small by modern standards and seem more suited to an older course of local design. A golf cart is recommended; distances from some of the greens to the next set of tees are quite long on the rolling terrain.

Rancho Palos Verdes has a great variety of golf holes that demand a variety of shots from the golfer. The greens, in true Dye fashion, have significant undulations which making hitting the correct quadrant of the green a must to post a good score. From the championship tees, great accuracy, skill and boldness will be required as well as strength of character, classic “high-risk-high-reward-golf” at its best. However, these tees are best left to the professional of scratch golfer or those looking for cruel and unusual punishment. A premium is put on length off the tee as the course plays far longer than its 7039 yards would indicate. Playing the appropriate tees is instrumental to enjoying one’s game.

I first visited Rancho Palos Verdes in 2005 as the associate editor of the now defunct Swing magazine. I was impressed by its layout and the challenges it posed then and looked forward to renewing my acquaintance with the golf course. I was heartened to discover that the course had been well cared for and matured nicely. The course is characterized by some beautiful short par fours and gorgeous par threes. The finishing holes on both sides are brutal but more on them later.

Possibly the only shot I didn’t care for was the one that started my round. The first hole is 520-yard par five that doglegs slightly to the right and plays uphill all the way. On my first trip here in 2005, you had to carry a tree that was growing out of the hazard on the left which partially obscured the fairway to get into the ideal position for your second shot. Seven years on and the tree has grown considerably. Now so much of the fairway is obscured that the only target you have from the back tees is the fairway bunker on the right. I can’t believe that it was Dye’s intent to have everyone lay up short of the bunker to start the round. Perhaps it’s time for some judicious pruning to restore some measure of playability to the hole.

Two remains an intriguing hole, not so much that the 3-par plays 251-yards from the tips but because of the crocodile pond just to the left of the tee boxes. It’s not in play, of course, and provides a welcome diversion when you’re waiting for the flight ahead to finish. Four and five are the prettiest holes on the front side. The tee shot on four will take your breath away as the fairway sits a good hundred feet below the tee mounds. Deciding where to aim is the biggest challenge. Five is a gorgeous short par 4. Place your tee shot on the left center of the fairway to have a good shot into the well guarded green.

Number eight is a beautiful 5 par; at 509 yards it’s the one of the par fives reachable in two. A well-placed drive leaves you with a second shot that drops almost a hundred feet downhill to a green guarded by bunkers short and to the right. Place your tee shot just short of the fairway bunkers on the left to give yourself a shot at the green. Anything to the right side of the fairway will have your second hindered by the overhanging branches of the trees on the right.

Nine is the beast and although it carries the 2-handicap on the card, it is the most difficult hole on the golf course. At 474 from the gold tees, the second shot must negotiate a ravine that extends all the way to the front of the green. Even from the forward tees, this is a par five for the high handicapper. The exhilarating view of the town of Mandug and the vast banana plantation, meandering along the banks of the Davao River, offers some solace for strokes lost here.

Moving to the back side, the course opens up. Eleven is a gorgeous 196-yard par 3 to a large two-tiered green. The tees are set under large trees giving this hole a unique feel to it. Twelve is a 527-yard par 5 that doglegs to the left off the tee, then downhill to the right with water fronting the green. It is reachable in two but necessitates a well placed tee shot to gain position to attack the green. Pressure is put on the tee shot by old growth trees on the left putting a premium on working the ball into the left side of the fairway.

Thirteen is the signature hole, a 408-yard dogleg right to an island green. The fairway slopes sharply towards the water; a tee shot to the left side of the fairway just skirting the hazard will put you in the best position to attack the green. Fourteen is another short, very picturesque par 4. At 364 from the tips, the tee shot takes you over the lake with the island green of fourteen on your right. The second shot plays uphill to a large but shallow green.

Seventeen is a beautiful par 3, playing 196 yards downhill to a large green. The bunker complex on the left is to be avoided at all cost as tall grasses inside the main bunker will severely punish the errant tee shot. Eighteen is the one handicap hole. Though not as difficult as number nine, at 443 yards long and playing uphill all the way, it will test even the longest hitters. The green slopes away towards the ravine making it important to land the approach just short to have any chance of stopping on the green.

I was captivated with the beauty and playability of Rancho Palos Verdes on my first trip here and this recent visit has reinforced those emotions. It is a very pleasant, very beautiful golf course. It’s a must play for anyone planning a golf trip to the City of Davao.

Images by Mike Besa and Marty Ilagan

The doglegs present yet another test. Local knowledge dictates that you play away from the dogleg but far enough down the fairway to give yourself a clean shot at the green. This is to avoid the overhanging branches of the very tall trees that define the fairways.

The greens, though large, are reminiscent of old Donald Ross designs shaped like inverted saucers. You’ll need to have your short game in good shape if you expect to post a good score. The greens are difficult to read because the breaks are so subtle but they roll very well so if you start the ball on the correct line, it will invariably find the hole.

Apo Golf is famous for the number of top golfers that it has produced. Antonio Lascuña, Felix “Cassius” Casas, Elmer Salvador, Bong Lopez, Elmer Saban, Jhonnel Ababa and many, many more have honed their skills on Apo’s fairways since the course opened in 1968. As tough as the course plays, it is small wonder that the golfers it produces develop the requisite skills to navigate its fairways.

Apo Golf is a must play for the serious golfer and one of the most severe tests of golf in the country.

For golfers looking to tee it up in Pattaya, a game at the historic Siam Country Club is an absolute must. The Club is home to two wonderful golf courses including the first privately owned course in the country which gives in a unique place in the history of golf in Thailand. The Siam Country Club is located just 20 minutes drive from Pattaya. There are two courses a few kilometres apart, both with their own excellent clubhouses and facilities.

The Old Course was the first privately owned golf course in Thailand. Work began on the course in 1969 and was first played in 1971. The course was originally created by Japanese course designer Isao Izumi but was completely redeveloped in 2006 by Schmidt-Curley Design who rebuilt and created new bunkers as well as totally renovating the fairways and greens. The Clubhouse was also refurbished to the modern standard of comfortม and reopened in March 2007. The result is an astoundingly good golf. It has played host to four Thailand open Championships in the past and hosted the LPGA Tournament since 2007. It is a joy to play for golfers of all abilities.

The Old Course is set in low hills and the fairways are lined by mature trees but cleverly spaced to allow a cool breeze to refresh players. The course is a Par 72 and is set out in a traditional out and back layout. The fairways play past numerous water hazards including strategically placed lakes and streams. The course rewards long, straight driving and the excellently manicured greens play fast and true. The Siam Country Club Old Course is commonly accepted to be among the best in Thailand and playing it is a must for golfers visiting Pattaya.

The course that concerns us is the newer Schmidt & Curley designed 27 hole Plantation Course located just a short distance from the Old Course. Opened in April 2008, the Plantation Course is more modern and spectacular than the Old Course. Nowhere is this more evident than the incredible 28,000 square foot verdant triple green nestled below the clubhouse. The course is set on land previously used as sugar cane, pineapple and tapioca plantations from which it takes its name and is located among a series of natural rolling hills and offers stunning views of the ocean. The Plantation is acknowledged to be extremely challenging and the three 9-hole loops offer the golfer tremendous variety. Each nine offers spectacular scenery and a visit to the Siam Country Club Plantation Course is widely regarded as one of the best day’s golf in the area.

The fairways are planted with Seashore Paspalum, an immensely popular type of grass in tropical and subtropical coastal area. The variety’s hardiness and leaf structure make it very suitable and easy to maintain. The greens are sodden with Novotek ultra-dwarf Bermuda which makes for a very true, very quick putting surface. A unique “bird-wing” inspired clubhouse sits on a hill providing sweeping vistas of the property. Inspiring views of the golf course are visible from almost every corner of the magnificent structure.

A testament to the quality of golf here is the fact that the Plantation Course plays host to the Ladies Professional Golfers Association’s Honda Open, the only Ladies Tour’s only even in the country. Former world number 1 Lorena Ochoa is a former winner. Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Michelle Wie, Ai Miyazato and a galaxy of the stars of the women’s game are regulars at Siam Country Club whenever the Ladies Tour rolls into town.

I got a chance to play the Plantation Course and left very impressed with the golf course, the facilities, the fastidiousness of the maintenance and the friendliness and efficiency of the people there. This is a wonderful place to play golf and is in my estimation the best golf facility in Pattaya. Siam Country Club is a world class facility and offers some of the best golf in all of Thailand.

It is a must for anyone looking to golf in the kingdom.

Bettinardi Signature 3
The Bettinardi Signature 3 is all about aesthetics and feel. This timeless design is a classic blade putter machined out of a single piece of Bettinardi’s proprietary Double Aged Stainless Steel (D.A.S.S.). The Signature 3 features the Bettinardi trademark honeycomb face milling to assure the flattest putting surface possible.

I am drawn to this putter because the very first putter I ever played with, a MacGregor Tommy Armour Silver Scott, is this head shape. I have many good memories of my rounds with it but also remember what an uncompromising piece of work it was. Putt the ball well and you can do no wrong. Putt poorly and you won’t have a place to hide. The Signature 3 takes the best of this design, the ease and intuitiveness of alignment and adds a measure of forgiveness and playability. The Signature 3 has a blade almost twice the length of my old Mac and is so much easier to line up. It has lost none of the feel either. The feel at impact is unlike any other stainless steel putter and is complemented by the medium sized leather stitchback grip. The grip will take a bit of getting used to but many will probably not take to it. Good thing that local distributor Red Golf will configure the putter for you with whatever grip you desire.

Where this putter truly shines is in its aesthetics. It is a playable work of art. It is functional modern sculpture for the discerning golfer. The Signature 3 is a modern classic and deserves a place in the putter connoisseur’s collection. This is just an awesome putter. In terms of weight, balance, aesthetics and performance, this is the best putter of this head shape that I’ve tried thus far.

Bettinardi Studio Stock 9
It’s nigh on impossible to be neutral about Robert Bettinardi’s milled masterpieces. The work on them is of such high quality that everyone we know that’s wielded one on the greens has wound up coughing up the money to make it his own. The Studio Stock 9 is another in this esteemed line.

A wide body heel-toe weighted design, the Studio Stock 9 finds its roots in Bettinardi’s JAM (Jason Alread Model) putter. The wide body design increases the putter’s moment of inertia which increases forgiveness on off-center hits. The raised toe allows for ease of alignment when the putter is in the address position. It’s a subtle design improvement which has proved extremely effective on the greens. The signature honeycomb milling on the putterface is augmented by Bettinardi’s patented F.I.T. Face milling which serves to get the ball rolling with a minimum of skidding. The F.I.T. Face makes the feel at impact extremely soft which is a huge help with distance control and a trait prized by putter cognoscenti.

More to the point, once I put the Studio Stock 9 in my bag, I just couldn’t swap it out without remorse. Again, from an overall standpoint, the balance, aesthetics and the performance are second to none. The finish on the 2012 Studio Stock series while not as striking as the 2011 line is still stunning. I love the look at address; the slightly high toe design of the JAM series combined with the wide body semi-mallet look produce a putter that just looks and feels right. Balance is superb and don’t even get me started about the feel at impact. It’s so good that the demo never made it back to Red Golf. It’s found a permanent home in my bag as my gamer.

It’s that good.

March was a milestone month for me. I turned 55 on the day of the 1st Impact Golf Cup. This marks the beginning of my career as a senior golfer.

Really, I can’t believe this time has come. Apart from a few more aches and pains, I don’t feel too different than I did a few years ago. I still tee it up on the blue tees during my casual rounds and I like to think that I’m still competitive from there. I do have a few trophies that back up that assertion. In fact on the odd occasion and in the company of the right foursome, I’ll even tee it up from the tips without too much stress. I rather enjoy pushing myself as I have in other sports in my pre-golf life.

But the calendar doesn’t lie. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I relish the odd chance to play tournaments from the forward tees. After all, the course is much shorter from there and I really haven’t lost much distance off the tee or with my irons. It should be a cakewalk.

Well, it really isn’t. Playing the forward tees presents a different set of problems as I found out first hand when I played my first tournament as a senior. The tournament was the Maxim Golf Cup and the venue was Sherwood Hills Golf Club, a layout with which I am very familiar. From the back tees.

We started on the back nine and Sherwood Hills general manager Raymond Bunquin was kind enough to allow me to start on number 10. So I tee up my ball, look down the fairway and I’m at an utter loss; I have no idea which club to use or where to aim. For those unfamiliar with this hole, number 10 at Sherwood Hills is a short par 4 with water all the way up the left side of the fairway and a huge phalanx of bunkers on the right. The fairway doglegs just a touch to the right and the hazard curves around the dogleg and also guards the left side of the green. From the back tees it’s a straightforward 3-wood up the fairway then a wedge to the green. From the forward tees, a 3-wood would probably roll into the hazard at the end of the fairway.

After some consideration, I take a half-hearted hybrid off the tee which the wind pushes right into a pot bunker on the right. I get out without too much bother but fail to get up and down. Bogey. Same problem on par 3 11th. The forward tees and the wind and proximity to the green leave me totally flummoxed as to club choice. Another bogey. Cutting right to the chase, I bogey my first four holes. Not quite the start I had in mind.

Sure there were bright spots. The eagle on 15 was the highlight of the day. Nearly driving the green on the short par 4 eighth was another. But I missed a fistful of birdie putts elsewhere on the course and finished beyond my first trophy as a senior golfer. Bottom line is that no matter how long you are off the tee or with your irons you still have to deal with the rest of the course and put the ball in the hole.

So it’s not going to be the cakewalk I thought it was. There’s still going to be a learning curve but one that should be shorter now that I recognize what needs to be done. Whatever else might happen, it’s going to be fun!

Founders – Wack Wack 476 (117-116-120-123), Orchard 461 (117-111-121-112), Negros 445 (106-114-120-105), Apo Golf 444 (107-122-103-112), Davao 418 (104-105-99-110), Tagaytay Highlands 412 (90-104-113-105), Palos Verdes 402 (97-105-92-108), Alta Vista 392 (104-92-105-91), Sta. Elena 384 (86-101-94-103), Phil. Navy 383 (104-95-81-103), Iloilo 365 (83-83-97-102), Manila Golf 325 (97-88-66-74), Northgate 248 (41-54-77-76), Redhawk 230 (70-63-60-37)

Sportswriters – Camp John Hay 411 (96-107-97-111), Eagle Ridge 388 (109-81-97-101), Iligan 383 (108-94-78-103), Mt. Manlindang 381 (111-80-100-90), Zamboanga 364 (92-90-95-87), Lumbia 341 (92-83-86-80), Mactan 338 (87-93-73-85), Bacolod 354 (89-85-83-97), Pueblo de Oro 336 (90-78-77-91), Sherwood Hills 333 (84-68-96-85), Saranggani 325 (87-78-85-75), FGAI Riadh 322 (83-90-73-76), Lanang 320 (85-70-89-76), Camp Evangelista 318 (85-73-72-88), South Cotabato 316 (67-91-79-79), Stanford 315 (81-63-81-90), Bay Area 306 (69-71-79-87), Maharlika 300 (66-71-92-71), Guinhalaran 298 (75-61-79-83), Club Filipino 296 (70-72-80-74)

Championship Division
Cebu 379 (123-134-122), Del Monte 372 (123-124-125), Alabang 358 (124-104-130), Manila Southwoods 330 (103-111-116), Fil-Am Fairfield 226 (76-72-78), San Juanico 217 (71-72-74), Pinoy Vancouver 201 (65-76-60), Brotherhood Sharp 164 (66-48-50), Greenhills West 162 (55-49-58), Mabuhay SFO 137 (38-52-47), Riyadh Golf 106 (28-52-26), Fil-Oz Sydney 104 (23-44-67)

Founders Division
Wack Wack 353 (117-116-120), Orchard 349 (117-111-121), Negros 340 (106-114-120), Apo Golf 332 (107-122-103), Riviera 329 (108-121-100), Forest Hills 323 (106-105-112), Valley 309 (102-100-107), Villamor 308 (96-103-109), Davao 308 (104-105-99), Tagaytay Highlands 307 (90-104-113), Alta Vista 301 (104-92-105), Palos Verdes 294 (97-105-92), Sta. Elena 281 (86-101-94), Phil. Navy 280 (104-95-81), Iloilo 263 (83-83-97), Manila Golf 251 (97-88-66), Redhawk 193 (70-63-60), Northgate 172 (41-54-77)

Sportswriters Division
Camp John Hay 300 (96-107-97), Mt. Malindang 291 (111-80-100), Eagle Ridge 287 (109-81-97), Iligan 280 (108-94-78), Zamboanga 277 (92-90-95), Lumbia 261 (92-83-86), Bacolod 257 (89-85-83), Mactan 253 (87-93-73), Saranggani 250 (87-78-85), Sherwood Hills 248 (84-68-96), FGAI Riyadh 246 (83-90-73), Pueblo de Oro 245 (90-78-77), Lanang 244 (85-70-89), South Cotabato 237 (67-91-79), Camp Evangelista 230 (85-73-72), Maharlika 229 (66-71-92), Stanford 225 (81-63-81), Club Filipino 222 (70-72-80), Bay Area 219 (69-71-79), Guinhalaran 215 (75-61-79), Victorias 193 (74-51-68), Reno Tahoe 166 (48-56-62), Moffet Fields 160 (53-50-57), Seattle 145 (53-45-47)

Friendship Division
Austral-Asian 233 (68-69-96), PGA British Columbia 219 (72-65-82), Fil-Am Hawaii 216 (80-72-64), Cotabato 210 (75-61-74), UP Tee Jots 210 (78-60-72), Pittsburg 193 (68-53-72), Skywest 191 (57-56-78), SFO Crystal Springs 181 (67-55-59), Figme 161 (60-41-60), Green Tee Riyadh 114 (39-32-43), Samahan/Greater Vancouver 111 (24-38-49)

Founders Division
Wack Wack 233 (117-116), Apo 229 (107-122), Riviera 229 (108-121), Orchard 228 (117-111), Negros 220 (106-114), Forest Hills 211 (106-105), Davao 209 (104-105), Palos Verdes 202 (97-105), Valley 202 (102-100), Villamor 199 (96-103), Phil. Navy 199(104-95), Alta Vista 196 (104-92), Tagaytay Highlands 194 (90-104), Sta. Elena 187 (86-101), Manila Golf 185 (97-88), Iloilo 166 (83-83), Redhawk 133 (70-63), Northgate 95 (41-54),

Friendship Division
Fil-Am Hawaii 152 (80-72), UP Tee Jots 138 (78-60), PGA British Columbia 137 (72-65), Austral-Asian 137 (68-69), Cotabato 136 (75-61), SFO Crystal Springs 122 (67-55), Pittsburg 121 (68-53), Skywest 113 (57-56), Figme 101 (60-41), Green Tee Riyadh 71 (39-32), Samahan/Greater Vancouver 62 (24-62)

Sportswriters Division
Camp John Hay 203 (96-107), Iligan 202 (108-94), Mt. Malindang 191 (111-80), Eagle Ridge 190 (109-81), Zamboanga 182 (92-90), Mactan 180 (87-93), Lumbia 175 (92-83), Bacolod 174 (89-85), FGAI Riyadh 173 (83-90), Pueblo de Oro 168 (90-78), Saranggani 165 (87-78), South Cotabato 158 (67-91), Camp Evangelista 158 (85-73), Lanang 155 (85-70), Sherwood Hills 152 (84-68), Stanford 144 (81-63), Club Filipino 142 (70-72), Bay Area 140 (69-71), Guinhalaran 136 (75-61), Maharlika 135 (66-69), Victorias 125 (74-51), Fil-Am Florida 121 (69-52), Reno-Tahoe 104 (48-56), Moffet Fields 103 (53-50), Seattle 98 (53-45),

This time is different.

The 65th PAL Interclub is the biggest ever. This year 160 teams have made the trek to Davao to compete in both the seniors and regular divisions. At ten persons per team, that makes 1,600 golfers that have come to test themselves against two very different and challenging golf courses.

Apo Golf Club and Rancho Palos Verdes are vastly different golf courses that demand different skills from the golfer. Apo is the the quintessential Philippine Golf Course; carabao grass fairways and zoysia greens with canals and ditches cris-crossing the tree lined fairways. A lot of local knowledge is required to score well at Apo. You can be in the middle of the fairway and not have a shot at the green because of overhanging limbs from one or more of the huge trees that define the fairways. The greens are large and difficult to read. Most newcomers will have a lot of trouble deciphering the break. A good caddy is essential to a good round at Apo unless you’re a local.

Rancho Palos Verdes on the other hand is a modern course design. Built in the late 1990′s, this Andy Dye design is a stunning piece of work, set on a plateau above the sprawling Dole banana plantation. Like the other Dye courses at Eagle Ridge and Intramuros, the greens have significant slopes built into them. Flat lies are at a premium on this golf course and you have to know which spots to hit to find them. The magnificent vistas conspire to distract you from the shot at hand and present a small consolation to the big number you just put on your scorecard.

In this light, it is with particular satisfaction that I played well enough on both these golf courses to win the PAL Media Tournament that precedes the Interclub. I played Rancho Palos Verdes on two previous occasions when I was here six years ago but had not played Apo at all. I had the chance to score better at both tracks but for the lack of the requisite knowledge, I probably would have.

Perhaps it was Davao’s way of welcoming me back. I’m sure the participants in the Interclub wish the courses will be as kind to them as they were to me.

I get invited to a lot of tournaments but there is one that stands out in my mind as the most organized, most meticulously run that I’ve had the pleasure to play in the whole year; the Lexus Cup.

The tournament is organized by Lexus Philippines as a way to thank their customers and the Lexus Club of the Philippines for their support and continued patronage. The only requirement for entry is that you must own a Lexus. There is no entry fee, the carts and caddies are included in your entry as was the sumptuous dinner that followed but more on that later.

I was incredibly excited when I received my invitation to the tournament which came two months in advance of the appointed date. I played and practiced in the hope of winning one the their stunning trophies – a model of the exotic Lexus LFA mounted on a dense wooden base. I have a lot of trophies but I’m a long time car nut and this one would have a special place in my collection.

Upon arrival at the plush Sta. Elena Golf and Country Club, I was greeted by Lexus Philippines’ Spencer Yu, who generously instructed the staff that even if I did not arrive in one of their vehicles, I was to be accorded two mulligans as their guest. When I walked into the club, my jaw hit the proverbial floor. Sitting in the lobby was a white Lexus LFA one of the most stunning, most expensive sports cars on the planet. I must have spent a good ten minutes there, feasting my eyes before being escorted by a lovely lady to the registration area.

There were more surprises when I made my way to my locker. Not only did the locker have my name on it, but it contained everything I’d need for my round; two pre-laundered Crest Link golf shirts resplendent with the Lexus logo (one for the round and the other for the awarding ceremonies), a fairway towel and bath towel with my name embroidered on it, a cap with the Lexus logo and ball marker clip with two markers, a box of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls with the Lexus logo and a toiletries bag with my name on it filled with every conceivable item I’d need for my post golf cleanup. If that’s not being pampered, I don’t know what is!

To kick the tournament off, there was the obligatory ceremonial tee-off by Lexus Motors Philippines Chair Alfred Ty, Lexus Motors Philippines president Danny Isla and the president of Sta. Elena Golf and Country Club Bryan Cockrell. By this time most of the participants were at the driving range warming up for their round and seldom does everyone make it back to the club for the ceremonies but not this time. Danny Isla ordered the LFA fired up and the piercing sound of the high revving V10 brought every single participant back to the clubhouse in a hurry! That might have been the single most memorable moment of the tournament; listening to that V10 wail!

I was paired with Sherwin Chua Lim, vice president for marketing of Toyota Motors Philippines and my publisher, Anton Cabangon of the Business Mirror. We had a great time together which probably accounts for how well we all played. The weather was beautiful and the course was in superb condition, as usual. All of which added to just how well the day went for us all.

Then on to the awards dinner. Or should I say feast. The food was, for lack of a more adequate term, simply amazing! It was a multi-course extravaganza featuring Sta. Elena’s Chef Joseph Goh’s signature black pepper crab and prime rib as the centerpieces but preceded by everything but the kitchen sink. I deeply regret not having the capacity to enjoy the food to the fullest. If I’d known the full extent of the meal beforehand, I’d have fasted for the week prior to the tournament.

The rest of the night was marked by fellowship and camaraderie. Sherwin and Anton won first and second respectively in the guest division. Sta. Elena president Bryan Cockrell showed his knowledge and mastery of his home course by taking the low gross award while Dax Garcia won the overall low net.

Me? I lucked out and hit my best drive of the tournament on the long drive hole and was awarded a Lexus driver for the effort. It’s too beautiful to ever put into play and although I didn’t take home one of the trophies that I coveted from the start, the Lexus driver has a very special place on my wall.

This has been and will always be one of the tournaments that I eagerly look forward to playing in; not for the goodies that are given to us but for the standard of which the event is run. It is perfection. Just like the cars that bear the tournament’s name.