Cantada-Tanpinco snares Minolta pro-am crown

SILANG, Cavite–J.R. Tanpinco made a pressure-free two-inch par putt as a follow-up to his pressure-packed 140-yard second shot on the 72nd hole yesterday and he and Gerard Cantada scored another dramatic and ego-inflating Konica Minolta Pro-Am two-peat here.

That par gave them a final-day 77 to make up for their bogeys on 16 and 17 that allowed Mars Pucay and Jose Roy III and Japan’s Yoshinaga Tomokasu and Takao Yusuku to a share of the lead.

"I’m dedicating the victory as my special gift to my ate (Asian Games shooter Therese) on her 31st birthday today," Cantada 27, said after wiping his tears.

Despite the discomforting thought that they were in another cliff-hanging finale, Cantada exploded with a booming drive of about 300 yards on the 18th hole.

Cantada won P207,300 and J.R. will fly back to Bacolod City with another championship trophy. They beat Ruel Banares and Marvin Dumandan via sudden death their first team-up in 2003.

Yoshinaga and Takao and Pucay and Roy bogeyed the same hole to shoot a 77 and a 79, respectively, to be at 299.

With a better final round score, however, the Japanese went on to secure second place with Yoshinaga winning P139,290 and Takao a trophy. For placing third, Pucay and Roy were richer with P81,690 and a trophy, respectively.

After the third round, Cantada predicted: "The guys who will cope with the pressure will win."

"For obvious reason we succeeded in handling the pressure best," the former junior star Tanpinco, 23, said. "Are we coming back for a three peat? See you next year."

The awarding of prizes followed right after the final threesome completed its round. Special guests were U-Bix owner Bert Bravo, Riviera chairman Cesar Jayme Jr., Konica’s Ted Yamana and rules chairman Taby Tabaniag.

Players numbering 258 took part in the five-day event but no one made a hole-in-one on 14 that carried the special prize, a P1.3-million Hilux from Toyota Motor Philippines through Danny Isla.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies Corporation of Japan was the title sponsor of the tournament. It was sanctioned by the National Golf Association of the Philippines headed by its president Benny Gopez.

The event began in 1956 as the Fort Bonifacio Pro-am. It was shelved in 1995 when Fort Bonifacio was sold and converted into a pricey commercial and residential area now known as The Fort.

Bravo, in partnership with Riviera president Danny Pizarro, revived it in 2001 as the U-Bix-Riviera Pro-Am.

Other sponsors were Riso, Epson, Brother Office Equipment, Okamura, Planex Network, ServiceMaster, Terminix, Merry Maids, Grappa’s Ristorante, Caffe Appassionato;

Pivo Praha, WineMaster, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Mizuno, DHL-WWW Express, Philippine Sports Commission, Bravo Golf and Rowell Group.

Solomon Gines and Artemio Murakami closed out with a 76 and 300 to win fourth place, P67,290 and a trophy while Koreans Lee Seong Ki and Jun Hyung Yu also shot for 301.