The Coral Invitational

I have managed to be at the Cebu Country Club three days in a row for the 30th Coral Invitational and if plans don’t miscarry will again be there today for the final round of the club’s annual member-guest event.

With all the events happening here and there in relation to the Sinulog celebration, it is not easy to be moving around to go to the golf club and back to our office in the downtown area.

Thanks to the wonderful people of Cebu Country Club like caddie master Noli Opone, who makes sure that this deadline beater gets to beat my deadline by sending me the results at the end of each round.

The Coral is a club affair and you can see even the members of the club, who are not participants of the event are helping out.

I mean the ladies, who are there from early morning until the last scorecard is submitted. The club’s ladies chapter also provides the markers for the teams that made it to the Calcutta.

Again, I won’t be explaining the Calcutta in this column. If you want to know what it is, ask me or ask the members of Cebu Country Club, who join the Coral Invitational.

The master of the Calcutta of course is no other than Ed Misa, who has added a major character to this evening that makes the Calcutta of CCC very different from the rest that tried to copy it.

After today, the participants of the Coral would again have that long one-year wait for the next edition of the tournament.

Clifford Celdran, who is not also playing this year just like this deadline beater, told me late yesterday morning that we should just have teamed up for the fun of being part of the tournament.

Covering the event already makes me feel very much a part of the Coral Invitational and I actually enjoy it more as there is not pressure to sink those shots that would have you write down a number or simply a letter X on the slot for the score.

If I’m still around the sportswriting circle, I’ll be back to cover the Coral Invitational as long as I can. I’m hoping to see you next year then.

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If you intend to go from point A to point B today and tomorrow, the fastest way to do it is not always by going on a straight line.

With the road closures for the solemn procession starting at noontime today and the grand parade the whole day tomorrow (until late at night), better plan out your trip to avoid a lot of headaches and being late for your appointment.

Maybe those who have decided to run or bike would have an advantage as they can probably reach their destinations faster on foot and on their bikes rather than by using cars or taking public transportation.

I plan to really rest well today in preparation for the big day tomorrow. The walk would be quite long and carrying some camera equipment won’t help make it any easier.

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MILESTONES: Happy birthday greetings go to my Grade-3 teacher Madame Maria Theresa Soco-Syparrado, Atty. Lineth Lapinid, Wang Lim-Almendras, and Georgia Osmeña.

Tomorrow’s greetings go to our kuya and Squad Leader in the PMA Cebu Squad, Sr. Supt, Augusto Morales Marquez, Jr., who we all love to call MarQ. The same goes to his mistah from PMA class 1984 Engr. Anastacio Salera, Jr., my own mistahs Lt. Col. William Peñafiel and Ramon Lihaylihay, and Amanda Glenda Bonife-Kiamko.

More power to all of you!