Phl Open up at Wack Wack, draws best of breed

MANILA, Philippines - With a record purse of $700,000, next year’s Philippine Open golf championship is eyeing a star-studded cast that may include rising PGA Tour star Jason Day.

“Definitely he’s number one on our list,” said National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) president Tommy Manotoc during yesterday’s press launch at Wack Wack.

Day won the hearts of golf fans around the world with his back-to-back runner-up finishes in the 2011 Masters and US Open. His father is Irish-Australian and his mother is Filipina.

“He will be a big draw. Definitely he’s Filipino and he looks Filipino. Hopefully we can look for the right sponsors (to bring him in),” said Manotoc of the 25-year-old Day, who started winning golf tournaments when he was eight.

The Open, one of the longest-running tournaments in the world, will celebrate its 100th year next year after American amateur J.R.H. Mason ruled its initial staging in 1913.

Singapore’s Mardan Mamat won last year’s Open with a hot putter and an eight-under total. He should be back to defend his title – regardless of who’s playing or not.

Wack Wack vice president Butch Campos III said they will make sure the East course will be as tough as always even if they want the players to “look good on television.”

It’s the first time that the Open, now in partnership with OneAsia, a golf tour covering the Asia-Pacific, and the MVP Sports Foundation is putting up such a purse.

In recent years, the Open has offered total cash prizes of no more than $300,000. For next year’s staging, sometime in November, it’s offering easily twice as much.

“Our main thrust is to develop Asian golf and put it on a very high platform. This is what we do. And the Philippine Open deserves to be on that platform,” said OneAsia director for tournament operations David Parkin.

“We are looking forward to the Philippine Open and we hope to bring all that to fruition,” he added.

Organizers said slots for 20 Filipino pros and four to five amateurs is a “sure thing” although there could be a chance for a couple more inclusions.

Al Panlilio, president of the MVP Sports Foundation, said their group’s involvement with golf and The Open is just part of their commitment to help Philippine sports from the grassroots level.

“We always look at the grassroots, and putting the pipelines, the right program, the right tournaments. Our commitment to the NGAP is similar to our commitment to the other sports,” said Panlilio.

But with golf, they see greater things.

“Hopefully in the 2016 Olympics we can win the gold and it would be nice if it would come from golf. We are fully committed to support the NGAP in this,” added the sports executive.

“We hope to be instrumental in producing our first Olympic golf because in the 2016 Olympics there is golf. We felt there is a chance for us to get lucky,” said MVP Sports Foundation VP Chot Reyes.

The multi-titled basketball coach said we have a very good chance in golf. 

“First, it’s not about height. And there’s no officiating. It’s an open field,” said the flamboyant basketball figure, drawing laughter from the presidential table.

“That’s where we’re coming from. The foundation wants to develop the grassroots,” he said of the MVP Sports Foundation’s sudden thrust in golf.

“But that’s aside from the fact that when I was in grade school I was watching coach Tommy (Manotoc) win the grand slam in the PBA (in 1983),” added Reyes. He corrected himself by saying he was in college then.

For a tournament as big as this, yesterday’s press launch was small, quiet and simple.

But inside the room was a tarpaulin announcing the 2013 Philippine Open, and the record cash purse of $700,000.

“The figure you see up there has never been done before. It was not easy (raising it) and I lost a few friends along the way. But golf needed it,” Manotoc said.