Tee time with Jack Nicklaus
The 8th Jack Nicklaus International Invitational (JNII) concluded with its international finals about a month ago on the Nicklaus-designed New Albany Country Club’s West and North courses, just outside of Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Known as the Tournament of Champions, it brings together the winners of each JNII national tournament held over the previous 12 months in select countries around the world.
This year, teams from six countries advanced to play for their country in the 18-hole international final sponsored by Jack Nicklaus Sportswear. The event has raised over $2 million for charities around the world since its inception in 2006.
Jeanne Koegelenberg and Mark Roux from South Africa won the competition with a net score of 50.8 over 15 holes. The South African duo, paired with Yuri Allado and Abe Rosal of the Philippines, traded birdies with each other down the stretch.
The South Africans birdied five of the final nine holes, while the Philippines kept pace with four birdies of their own. The difference that decided the championship was an early bogey by the Philippines on the par 3 second hole.
Korea’s Doo Young Choi and Janghyun Yang squeaked by the Indonesian team of Andyjaya Melawi and David Sumedap to take third, the best finish ever for a Korean team.
This year’s event was special for Team Philippines for scoring the very first hole-in-one for the JNII. Abe Rosal shot the ace on the 151-yard Hole no.5.
“The JNII experience was definitely one off the bucket list —meeting Jack Nicklaus and having VIP access to the memorial tournament were the highlights of the trip. The camaraderie developed with the other participants was unexpected, the friendly atmosphere made it easy to cultivate new friendships,” said Allado.
The JNII is a two-person team competition for recreational players of all skill levels who get to experience competitive golf in a relaxed, social atmosphere that promotes camaraderie and interest in the game. Players who enter national JNII events get to play top courses in tournament-like conditions and a chance to win great prizes, including an expense-paid VIP trip to play for their country in the Tournament of Champions.
It’s because of this that so many golfers block off their schedules a year in advance just to be able to have the opportunity of representing the country in this annual event. See you next summer to determine our next Philipine team!
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