SEAG gold only medal missing in her collection

She has reaped countless honors here and abroad — from her jungolf days to her teenage years. But if there’s one thing Jayvie Agojo would want to have in her trophy room, it is the SEA Games gold medal.

"I’m really so excited to play in the SEA Games, to represent our country," said Agojo, who has had a number of stints for the Philippines in various international competitions, including the Junior World and the World Amateurs. "But this will be my first SEA Games, so it’s really a big deal."

Bigger is the challenge for the charming 17-year-old shotmaker, who has cut short her stint in the US as a golf scholar at the Pepperdine University to spearhead the country’s campaign in the biennial event set Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at The Country Club.

For one, Agojo, who arrived Saturday, will not enjoy the proverbial home court advantage, having spent the last three months abroad and the tournament having moved from the Manila Golf Club, where she’s more at ease with, having won the RP Ladies Open there early this year, to the tough The Country Club layout, where she is, so to speak, unfamiliar with.

But make no mistake about it. Agojo would be coming into the event ready.

"I practice there everyday, from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., except weekends although sometimes I also play on Saturdays. But since I have classes at 4-5:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday, I train for just three hours. However, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, I play golf the whole day," said Agojo.

"Usually, every Monday I go to the range, then go pitch and putt in the campus. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we go to Calabasas, a private golf course, and play nine holes and then on Wednesday I work out from 7:30-8:30 a.m., then play 18 holes at El Caballero golf course," she added.

That makes her so upbeat of her and the Philippines’ chances in the biennial meet, although she believes it will be tough considering the preparations the other countries have undertaken in their buildup to the SEAG.

"I believe they are all good, so I expect a tough outing for us," said Agojo, who will be backstopped by reigning RP amateur champion Frances Bondad and Anya Tanpinco.

But talent-for-talent, the svelte, smooth-swinging Agojo will not be far behind, confident that her short stint at Pepperdine will put her in good stead against the cream of the crop in the region.

"I think I have gained some distance because I did not do much workout in the Philippines, but there (in the US) we work out a lot," Agojo added.

"Going to school and returning to my dorm added up to my worries as I had to carry my books and my golf bags and golf equipment on foot during my first two weeks.

Imagine the slopes and the valleys and the distancethat I had to negotiate just to be in school. My dorm is like one par-4 from the campus. I really have to walk," added Agojo.

She would need more of that, plus patience, determination and all, if she were to chase a dream SEA Games gold.