Hometown hero banners touring field today

STA. BARBARA, Iloilo — Reunited with his big family here, Richard Sinfuego is out to make his first homecoming in three years truly memorable as he banners the field in the fourth leg of the First Gentlemen’s Professional Golf Circuit starting today at the fabled Iloilo Golf and Country Club here.

Sinfuego, who had spent much of his youth working as a ballpicker and caddie at the course built by Irish engineers in 1907, will be aiming for a second victory in the tour almost a month after topping the Canlubang stop via a marathon sudden-death playoff with Robert Pactolerin.

Sinfuego’s father and his three brothers are still working as caddies at the course and the whole town’s folk will be there to root for him in his showdown against the other top guns of the circuit presented by San Miguel Beer, a long-time supporter of local golf.

First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, whose foundation has taken the lead in giving back the local pros their livelihood, has already asked the organizing Federation of Golf Club Philippines, Inc. to increase the total prize money from P500,000 to P600,000 starting with the Iloilo leg mainly because of the San Miguel Beer support.

Arroyo’s gesture stands to spread the bounty to a bigger number of entries as the second round cut in Iloilo which kicks off the Visayan swing, will now involve 40 or more players from the 25 in the first three legs.

As it is, Arroyo, Comelec chair and PGAP commissioner Ben Abalos and Federation president Ogie Manalo already made sure that the southern legs will not become a financial burden for the pros.

More than half of the expected starting field of 70 took the comfortable WG&A Super Ferry journey to Iloilo, a free ride made possible by the leading sea transport. As part of its major involvement in the tour, WG&A is providing free transport to all pros in the six southern legs, including three in Mindanao.

The par-70 course is playing easy and with the big names slowly reaching their peak forms, tournament director Bones Floro said that scoring is expected to be very low this week.

At least five of the par-4s are reachable and a good weapon, Floro added, is a good short game since saving strokes after missing the green will be very tough. Part of the Sta. Barbara challenge are the trees surrounding the greenside which often make well-struck wedge shots a requirement.