SEAG national golf team slots up for grabs

The country’s top amateur and rising golfers have started flexing their swings more than just competing in local tournaments but to seek slots in the national team.

The first of the two-part, eight-round eliminations for spots in the national squad set to vie in the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Vietnam in May began at the Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac, where Bianca Pagdanganan claimed the individual gold and led her team of LK Go and Abby Arevalo to victory in the 2019 edition of the biennial regional games.

Pagdanganan and Arevalo have since turned pros, paving the way for the formation of an entirely new squad for this year’s SEA Games scheduled on May 12 to 23 at the Heron Lake golf course in Vinh Phuc province, northwest of Hanoi.

Rianne Malixi, the 2020 national stroke play winner who dominated the pros in the last Ladies Philippine Golf Tour sortie at Midlands, heads the chase along with Laurea Duque and ICTSI-backed players Mafy Singson, Eagle Superal and Arnie Taguines in what promises to be a spirited duel of shotmaking and wits of young talents in one of the country’s toughest courses.

A fierce battle is also expected in the men’s side with Ryan Monsalve, who steered Manila Southwoods to a dominant run in the last Fil-Am Invitational in Baguio, disputing top honors.

The national men’s team, made up of Luis Castro, Aidric Chan and Ramos, settled for the team bronze in the last SEA Games.

The staging of the 31st edition of the regional games was originally set late last year but was moved to May this year due to the global health crisis, especially the rising Covid-19 cases in Vietnam.

Chase for SEA Games slots is also a battle of stamina. The first round of each of the two set of qualifiers will be played over 36 holes. Two spots in the men’s and one in the women’s will be up for grabs.