PAL Interclub: Canlubang bags title

BACOLOD City – Canlubang Golf and Country Club closed out with 198 yesterday to share the spotlight with the almighty Luisita Golf and Country Club in the 16th Philippine Airlines Senior Interclub here.

Eriberto Bunye toured the par 72, 6,197-yard Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club course with 43 points to pace Cangolf while Alluminado Advincula shot 42, Mateo Trinos and Yoshihiko Akasada contributed 39 each and Makoto Kobayashi added 34.

Together with their first round 206 at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club in Murcia, the Cangolf bets wound up with 404 to win the Sportswriters Division crown by 24 points.

Camp Evangelista, which started the round tied with Cangolf for the early Sportswriters Division lead, struggled with 174 to settle for second place at 380. Bacolod (181) and Zamboanga (185) shared third with 370.

Wack Wack Golf and Country Club sparkled with 218 on the 46 of Luisito Figueroa, Bryan Cockrell’s 44, the 43s of Alex Sison and Danny Tamayo and Pablo Soon’s 42 to take the first round Founders Division lead.

Pueblo de Oro placed second with 209, followed by Villamor 206, Manila Golf 204, Apo 203, Manila Southwoods 199, Riviera 198 and Camp Aguinaldo 197.

Luisita sizzled with a first round 236 points at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club and it’s off and running for its second straight Championship Division crown and its 10th in 12 years.

Playing like young men although most of them are 55 or older, Alex Montelibano scored 50 points, Alan Gaston backed him up with 48, Richie Garcia and Lucio Yan contributed 47 each and King Sumulong added 44.

Those who did not count in the event that has an eight-player, five-to-count format were Carlo Gamban with 42, Alfonso Marcelo 39 and Cesar Muñoz 38.

"The guys played very well," said Luisita team manager Rudy Samson. "Yes, we have a very good start. But let’s see what happens tomorrow. Bilog ang bola, you know."

Certainly, Montelibano, 63, played the day’s best as he came up with those big numbers via the modified Stableford Scoring System that awards one point for double bogey, two for bogey, three par and so on.