14th Uratex caddies golf draws 20 teams

Twenty teams from as far north as Baguio and as far south as Zamboanga have signed up for the 14th Uratex National Caddies Championship next week.

Heading the field so far are host Valley Golf and Country Club, defending men’s team champion Wack Wack Golf and Capitol Hills Golf Club, the event’s original home.

Seventeen other teams have signed up in the event Robert Cheng launched in 1986 to give bag-toters their own national event, provide financial help and discover talent.

These are Fort Ilocandia, Alabang Country Club, Cattle Creek Golf Club, Philippine Navy, Canlubang Golf and Country Club, Manila Southwoods, Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club;

Zamboanga Golf Club, Club Malarayat, Kagitingan Golf Club, Veterans Golf Club, Peninsula of Bataan, Baguio Country Club, Alta Vista Golf Club, Cebu Country Club, Mimosa and Iloilo.

The 72-hole tournament will be played at the short but challenging par 70, 5,396-yard Valley Golf and Country Club’s Executive Course from Dec. 17-20.

Cheng shelved the event last year due to personal reasons. He is resuming it this year in coordination with the First Gentleman Foundation Inc. headed by Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo.

Capitol Hills has been the sole venue of the event up to 2000. But since Capitol Hills is under renovation Cheng, in consultation with the organizing committee co-chaired by Col. Abe Villanueva and Manding Santos, moved it to Valley.