Philippines Open tackled in NGAP meet

MANILA, Philippines — If and when the Philippine Open is held later this year, it could be an all-local cast since travel restrictions would prevent foreign aces from joining the title hunt the way they used to in past editions of the country’s premier golf championship.

The Phl Open staging in post pandemic days will be one of the key points in the upcoming National Golf Association of the Philippines’ meeting where the country’s governing body in the sport will firm up its program and tournament schedules put in disarray, like any other sports events in the world, by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Yes, the Phl Open staging will be one of the items to be discussed,” said NGAP secretary-general Bones Floro.

“The NGAP will meet first week of June to likewise finalize tournament schedule for the rest of 2020 and in 2021,” he added, hinting at the resumption of amateur tournaments in the fourth quarter of the year.

At least three top-notch amateur tournaments were postponed due to the lockdown, including the WExpress RVF Cup, the Philippine Junior Amateur Open and the MVPSF Visayas Regional Match Play with the Philippine Amateur Open Match Play and Mindanao Regional Amateur Championship also put on hold.

But with the National Capital Region and other areas poised for a changeover from modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) to general CQ starting Monday, the NGAP is hopeful of resuming its program in consonance with the Inter-Agency Task Force’s implementing rules and regulations with regard to holding of tournaments.

“It actually depends but hopefully sooner,” said Floro. “With proper safety practices, I think we can resume.”

The NGAP actually recommended the guidelines to the Philippine Sports Commission and the IATF, along with the other member golf clubs, under the “new normal” set-up.

But while holding amateur tournaments won’t pose much of a problem, Floro sees a tougher, challenging task in putting up the Philippine Open, which the NGAP has the exclusive rights to organize and stage.

“The Phl Open would be doubly difficult since it would involve spectators, foreign participation, etc,” Floro said.

With travel ban expected to last till August or September under the government’s five-phase roadmap to ease COVID-19 restrictions, drawing foreign participants would indeed be next to impossible.

The Phl Open had featured an all-local field from 2000 to 2002 before it returned to the Asian Tour calendar from 2004 to 2008. The 2009 and 2010 editions were again played to an all-Pinoy cast before it returned again to the Asian Tour.

The NGAP, however, linked up with ICTSI and Solaire Resort & Casino to stage the last five editions as part of the local circuit, the last two won by Filipinos Miguel Tabuena and Clyde Mondilla at The Country Club.

But ICTSI has begged off from sponsoring the next Phl Open, shifting some of its resources to the government’s drive to help curb the spread of COVID-19 virus, including the fast-tracking of the Ninoy Aquino Stadium quarantine facility and other relief efforts.

There were no Phl Opens in 2004, 2013 and 2016.