San Miguel Fil-Am men’s golf on at BCC, John Hay

MANILA, Philippines - Forest Hills seeks to prove its victory last year was no work of a chance while Matikas, Camp John Hay and Nueva Ecija vow to make it two in a row in their respective divisions when the 64th San Miguel Fil-Am men’s golf tournament  fires off today with the seniors division at the Baguio Country Club and Camp John Hay in Baguio City.

Forest Hills pounced on the final round infraction by Mizuno to score a breakthrough win in the premier Fil-Championship of the annual tournament, which gathers the country’s leading clubs and other top foreign teams.

The Antipolo-based golfers rallied in the final day to tie Mizuno, which dominated the first three days but yielded the crown after Raymond Sangil accidentally holed out after a bogey, leading to a two-point deduction for Mizuno and paving the way for Forest Hills’ victory.

Sangil, golf director at Orchard, is expected to be back to redeem himself together with former amateur standout Vince Lauron although the team’s final composition is yet to be finalized.

Forest Hills, elevated to the championship flight last year, is tipped to pin its hopes anew on the fivesome of Edsel Tan, Kim In-jae, Kim Jin-ho, Raffy Garcia and Edgar Lee.

Also seeking back-to-back are the Thirdy Escano-led Matikas 83 in the Am Championship in regular play and Camp John Hay and Nueva Ecija in the Fil and Am seniors, respectively.

The seniors and regular flights F, G and H will take center stage starting today till Nov. 30 while the regular Flight A to E and the Championship division unwraps Dec. 2 following a two-day break in the championship long regarded as the biggest in terms of participation by the Guinness Records.

San Miguel Corp., a long-time supporter of Philippine golf, is taking over as the event’s title sponsor, ensuring another blockbuster staging of the annual championship.

“We are happy to have San Miguel on board. Expect lots of surprises in our welcome cocktails, themed parties and awards night,” said Fil-Am co-chairmen Anthony de Leon and Robert Sobrepeña.

“San Miguel adds prestige to Fil-Am. It is also a proof that the longest running team amateur event remains highly anticipated in the Asia-Pacific region,” said de Leon.