Category: Golf

Montito (left) with Jovi Neri (Photo by Frederic Chiongbian)

Like Lance Armstrong, he’s a veteran, an old-timer, and one of the oldest—if not the oldest—of the field and so he’s not supposed to win. Or dominate. Yet, there he was, winning his eighth Cebu Country Club (CCC) championship—a feat unmatched since the 52-hectare golf course was established in 1928.

To those who follow the sport and who swing and putt at the 6,481-yard, par-71 CCC, this you know: This is old news. That’s right. In fact, nearly a month-and-a-half has passed since Montito Garcia won the CCC Men’s Club Championships on May 30, 2009. But, “better late than never,” the old saying goes and so, here goes my Q & A with the champ…

Here’s an article I wrote about Mrs. Johnson last May 13, 2007…

Today, I’d like to greet a dear friend. We’ve met only once. We’ve met six dozens of times. Confused? In person, yes, only once—but through exchanges of emails the past two years, I’ve gotten to know her very well: that she’s lived in the States for 31 years now, that she owns a 4-handicap in golf, that she was the country’s No.1 roller skater in 1973…

Today is the birthday of Maria Johnson. It’s also the birthday of Bebot Pacana. You see, Maria and Bebot are one and the same person, athlete, wife, mother, friend.

Here’s the story I wrote, “Maria Comes To Town,” for Sun.Star Cebu in August 22 last year…

Today, she is called Maria Johnson. She’s American. She’s a golfer; not an ordinary, weekend hacker, but a Pro. Almost. She shoots a 4-handicap — which places her among the top echelon of female golfers in the United States. Amazing?

You’ve heard of e-tickets and eBay and e-commerce and e-Cards but have you heard of this…. E-Golf? Ever come across it? I’m sure not because this has never been introduced in Cebu—or, possibly, in the whole Philippines. What is it?

Pioneered by telecom giant PLDT and promoted by the company’s energetic and charismatic leader, Nilo Bantilan, the Vice President for Marketing in Vis-Min of PLDT’s SME Group, this idea is state-of-the-art.

Yesterday and today at the Mercedes Plantation Golf Club, dozens trooped to the northernmost town of Medellin to swing 5-irons and excavate divots. And, since Medellin is a long drive away, none of the golfers’ friends can watch them play if they’re here in Cebu City, right?

Thanks to Atty. Jovi Neri, one of Cebu’s top golfers and the chieftain of the Cebu Country Club JunGolf program, I received stunning news. From the website that Jovi created, http://cccjungolf.multiply.com, here are the juicy details of a phenomenal feat…

Lloyd Jefferson Go

Operated by one of Cebu’s top club golfers, Atty. Jovi Neri, you’ve got to visit this website if your sport involves walking on grass, swinging a driver, smothering an 8-iron, and caressing a putt. Check out photos. Read blow-by-blow stories. Reminisce on tournaments from last week, last month, last year. Visit the Cebu Country Club Junior Golf Program website here.

(Sun.Star Cebu photo)

Macky Michael loves the 1980s. He first drove a car in the ‘80s, enjoys listening to the music of the ‘80s, had his first date during that decade and swung his first few rounds of golf in those 1980s. Fittingly, at the Cebu Country Club last weekend, he’s part of the group called the “80s.” These are a bunch of men who were teenagers during those youthful days of the ‘80s. Apart from Macky, they include Iker Aboitiz, Frederic Chiongbian, Jay-Jay Neri, Gassy Lizares, Tining Martinez, Justin Neri, Toby Florendo, Mars Ugarte, Eric Deen, Pico Sarmiento, Nino Bascon, Carl Almario, Jonji Chiongbian, Jess Garcia, Gilbert and Gabriel Yap, Enrico Solon, Tony San Juan and team captain Jovi Unchuan. They’re the 80s team. The ‘90s?

How do you look so calm in such a pressure-filled game? How do you manage to stay unaffected and appear so relaxed in the biggest tournament of the biggest golf club in Cebu?

I posed these questions last Saturday to one of the best—if not the best—golfer in Cebu today; to the player who was recently crowned as “Club Champion” (his second in three years) of the Cebu Country Club……. Chuckie Hong.

“My personality off the golf course is who I am on the golf course,” he said. “I’m the silent, serious type. And whenever a problem arises, for example, I’m never one to jump and be overly surprised. I’m not impulsive. I’m more of a thinker. And this carries on in the golf course. I’m relaxed. Patient. I guess you can also say that, as a player, kalma ang akong disposition.”

For someone so mature, Chuckie is only 19.

Chuckie (center) with JJ Alvarez and Marco Mendoza