PAL Interclub draws record field

A record-smashing field of 71 men’s clubs and 55 seniors teams marks the sentimental return of the Philippine Airlines Interclub golf tournament to Cebu for the 54th staging of the country’s acknowledged national team championship.

The annual golfing fiesta is spread over a period of nine days on what used to be the event’s traditional venues — the Cebu Country Club and the Club Filipino de Cebu — to accommodate the unprecedented number of participating clubs.

Major sponsors for this year are Airbus Industrie, GE Aircraft Engines, Mareco Broadcasting Corp. (105.1 Crossover), National Broadcasting Corp., TTG Asia and ABS-CBN International.

Corporate sponsors include Asia Brewery, Pathfinder Holdings Phils., Boeing, Bombo Radyo, DWWW, Foreign Post, Fortune Tobacco Corp., Malaya, Philstar Daily, Premier Wines and Spirits, Radio Mindanao Network, University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network, Waterfront Hotel, Zebra Holdings, PLDT, Century Park Hotel, El Nido Beach Resort, Heritage Hotel, U-Bix Corp., Verdemar Gold and Country Club, and RGMA Network Inc.

The 15th Seniors Interclub will be played over three days for the first time — from Feb. 22-24. After a two-day break, including practice, the 54th regular men’s Interclub will be played over four days, from Feb. 27 to March 2 on the same venues.

Hitting the ceremonial tee will be two of the country’s premier golfers, Athlete of the Year 2000 Dorothy Joy Delasin and many-time Philippine Golf Circuit winner Felix "Cassius" Casas.

Both events were either born or nurtured in Cebu, which was the permanent home of the Interclub for six years, from 1984 to 1989. The Interclub was born 54 years ago in Manila and Club Filipino de Cebu hosted the second staging at its old course.

Club Filipino hosted the inaugural staging of the Seniors Interclub in 1987.

It will be the first time that the event will be played in Cebu after 12 years. After the 1989 event and after the nearby Magellan Hotel burned down, the old Club Filipino course was torn up to give way to what is now the Cebu Business Park.

The event then shuttled between Bacolod and Davao, two cities that offered excellent venues and facilities to accommodate the growing number of competitors.

That was until last year, when the Interclub moved to Northern Mindanao for the first time with the modern Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country Club in Cagayan de Oro City and the vintage Del Monte Golf and Country Club in Bukidnon hosting the two events.

Canlubang captured the men‘s title while Luisita took the seniors championship.

Cebu, as the historic roots of the event, had made a gallant bid to host the 50th Interclub four years ago but lost out in the bidding to Bacolod, which held the distinction as host of the Golden Anniversary of the Interclub.