When I get calls from golfers very early in the morning, it can only mean good or bad news.
The calls usually bring good news, but I still have to find under which category I’d put a call from Wellington Lim at quarter to 6 o’clock yesterday morning.
When I answered the call, the conversation somehow went like this.
Me: Partner unsay balita? Naay naka hole-in-one? (Partner, what’s the news? Did anybody score a hole-in-one?)
Willy: Naa partner, hole number 1 sa Cebu Country Club. (Yes partner, hole number 1 of Cebu Country Club.)
Me: Par-4 man na. Albatross? Kinsa man? (That’s a par-4. Albatross? Who did it?)
Willy: Si Chito Misa. (It was Chito Misa.)
Me: Wow! Si Chito? (Wow! Chito?)
Okay, let me cut that dialog short…
Willy explained to me how it happened. Chito’s tee shot on hole number one from the white tees was hit right smack into the red tee marker, which is shaped like a giant golf ball.
The ball, instead of ricocheting, got embedded into the marker for the race hole-in-one. Wow again!
This reminds me of the double eagle on the par-5 hole number 7 of Cebu Country Club also scored during the PAL Interclub in 2001 by James Gaite. It wasn’t made on the hole though, but his second shot found the knot of a tree lining the right side of the fairway and got embedded there.
There is now a faded sign that says James’ Hole on that knot of the tree.
It may not have been a real albatross, but I guess Chito deserves a pat in the back. I’m very sure that it would be so hard to duplicate this feat.
* * *
I was with the other members of the Sportswriters Association of Cebu yesterday at the Ayala Center Cebu to witness the opening of the 10th World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (WEKAF) World Championships.
Sen. Migz Zubiri, who is himself an arnisador, was on hand to give an inspirational talk and do a little demo with four-time world champion Percival Pableo, who is a barangay captain in the town of Badian, Cebu.
Before the demo, Sen. Migz talked with the sportswriters and explained to us why he is pushing arnis as the national sport in a bill that he has filed.
He explained that the practice of arnis must be incorporated in the Physical Education classes in our schools.
As a martial arts practitioner, I believe that this is something that would do us a lot of good as a nation.
To those who think the practice of martial arts espouses violence, you are very wrong. When practiced properly, martial arts promote peace and harmony not only physically, but also mentally.
Sen. Migz said that he feels very sad to hear how little our people in the country think of the practice or arnis when abroad, arnis players are so proud that they are learning this indigenous Filipino form of martial art.
The good senator from Mindanao need not say more because proof of this can be seen at the enthusiasm of the foreign athletes competing in the world championships at Ayala Center Cebu.
You have to be there to see how big arnis is worldwide.