Busan bets hone up in Riviera Am

With barely a month to go with their Asian Games mission, members of the national team take an acid test when they compete in the inaugural Riviera Amateur Championship on Sept. 10-13 at the Riviera Golf Club’s Langer course in Silang, Cavite.

Reigning national champion Jerome Delariarte, Angelo Que, Juvic Pagunsan and Marlon Dizon face the challenge of a bunch of low handicappers in the championship division as they try to fan their competitive fire a week prior to their departure for Busan, Korea.

"This, we believe, is a very important outing for the boys since it will become an evaluation test after their rigid training," said club president Danny Pizarro.

Aside from the championship class for players with handicap indexes of 0-4.7, there will be similar gross competitions in Class A (4.8-9.0), Class B (9.1 —15.9), Class C (16-21.1) and seniors for 55 years and above.

The championship class is set for 72 holes from Sept. 10-13 while the rest are just for 36 holes. Class A and seniors play will be on Sept. 12-13, Class B and Class C on Sept. 10-11.

Tournament fee is P2,000 inclusive of a free practice round from Sept. 4-6. To register, call the Riviera Pro-Shop at 046-4142868 or 8077061 local 208.

Trophies and merchandise prizes await the winners in the five categories.

Pizarro said that more than its promotional and marketing objectives for the host venue, other clubs are encouraged to stage similar amateur tilts for local top players to keep their game sharp.

The Riviera Amateur is part of the Club’s two-major offering, the other being the National Pro-Am sponsored by UBIX set this coming November.