Cebu Country Club makes history, wins overall championship in PAL Interclub
Cebu Country Club golfers are the overall champion in the founders division of the PAL Interclub held at the CCC’s home green. The CCC golfers are Seating (from left): Julius Neri, Bayani Garcia, Marko Sarmiento (Team Captain), Mark Anthony Dy, Harvey Sytiongsa; standing (from left): Martin Mendoza, Julius Garcia Neri Jr., Julius Pierre, Hugo Saurat, Peter Po II, Marc Gonzalez, and Eric Anthony Deen.| Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — With history beckoning, the golfers of the Cebu Country Club stood unfazed and seized the moment as they won the overall championship while playing in the Founders Division, outlasting powerhouse Manila Southwoods in the final day of the PAL Interclub on Saturday, March 9, 2019, on their home green in Banilad.
The big man with the big swing and the soft touch, Bayani Garcia, and Pio Nero had level-par 72s worth 36 points each and Mark Dy scored 35 in leading a balanced final day assault on a Cebu Country Club course they call home. These magnificent scores eventually paved the way in a nine-point win over Southwoods.
“This is definitely unexpected,” said team captain Marko Sarmiento, whose 33 was the last score to count. “We talked about how to attack (the final day) and that was to play with that (history) not in our minds.
Read more: Things looking good for Cebu Country Club in PAL Interclub
“And I guess it worked,” he said as CCC totaled 516 counting 252 points scored at the tight Mactan Island Golf in the middle two rounds and an opening 124.
This feat is only the second time that a team from a lower division went and won the overall title, duplicating a 1988 feat by an Aguinaldo team made up of future international luminaries like Ramon Brobio and swing coach Bong Lopez.
Southwoods got 38 points from Yuto Katsuragawa but couldn’t get the others to deliver the numbers non-playing skipper Thirdy Escano expected, settling for second and blowing their own bid to win the tournament a fifth straight time, a record solely held by Canlubang.
Chepe Dulay scored 34 points, Carl Corpuz added 32 and either 31 of Josh Jorge and former junior world champion Kristoffer Arevalo counted for Southwoods’ closing 135 and 507 overall, 17 points ahead of Luisita.
The Luisitans got 34 points from Paolo Wong and 32 from Don Petil to make up the bulk of a closing 126, with Del Monte shooting a 119 after 36 points from Romeo Jaraula.
The Cebu CC victory also gift-wrapped for Orchard Golf Club the Founders Division crown with the Dasmarinas-based squad tallying 482 after a fourth round 129 for a 24-point win over Forest Hills.
Zachary Castro scored 35 and Gabriel Macalaguim 34 to lead Orchard, which also drew 32 from Francis Lanuza and 28 from Jong Goo-kim.
Former US NCAA standout Jude Eustaquio fired 36 points and Inigo Raymundo accounted for 31 to lead Forest Hills.\dbs
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