Newspaper/Magazine Article Draft

Upon the request of some writers from a magazine and newspaper who wanted an inside scoop on what a player goes through in a tournament, they asked me to produce a 'tour diary' style writeup.  Wait for it in the newspaper and magazine!

Short Bio:

Started the game at the age of 6.  Competed on the Philippine jungolf circuit in his early years representing the national team in numerous occasions including the Junior World Championship.  Moved to Florida at the age of 14 and continued to compete on the national level, earning several top finishes on the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association).  Won the Florida State Junior Championship and a 2-time Optimist International Junior Champion (‘02,’05). Played collegiate golf at the University of Notre Dame, a division 1 NCAA program and graduated with a finance degree.  2-time participant of the U.S. Amateur (‘08-‘09) including round of 64 match play (‘08).  Upon graduating in May of 2010, played for the ICTSI Philippine amateur team.  Turned pro March, 2011.  In his short career on the PGT (Philippine Golf Tour) circuit, has produced 7 top 10 finishes including a career best 2^nd at the Mimosa C’ship (’10).  Hopes to play full-time on the Asian Tour in 2012 and from there, the PGA Tour. 

Writeup recapping the two weeks of Davao and Cagayan:

Last August, the ICTSI sponsored Philippine Golf Tour (PGT, www.pgt.ph) swing reached Davao and Cagayan.  Getting the opportunity to travel and participate in tournaments internationally and domestically outside of Luzon always comes as a thrill.  Having turned professional only recently back in March of this year, each and every tour stop is a new experience.  You quickly come to realize that when you get to a tournament as a touring professional, there’s more to just familiarizing yourself with the golf course.  Figuring out lodging for the week, places to eat, how transportation works to and from the airport/hotel, where the practice facilities are located and which caddy to pick are just a few of the many factors that a pro must handle.  Embracing these challenges as an adventure rather than being dreadful of them facilitate in getting comfortable as soon as possible. Of course, the more comfortable you are with your surroundings, the more chance you have of playing to your potential so it is essential to get situated not only with your game but also these external factors before teeing it up come Wednesday for the first round.

Currently, the Philippine Golf Tour has a healthy mix of veteran pros like my former coach for the amateur national team Cassius Casas, Antonio Lascuna, and Anthony Fernando who really help out and mentor us younger guys while on the road.  Golf is a lonely sport as it is, so having a travel buddy with you where you can spend your practice and downtime together really helps.  I’ve been fortunate to meet a group of young players like myself in Chuck Hong, Ryan Lam, and Ton Asistio who share the same aspiring goals as I do.  Our similar goals and competitiveness motivate each other to push ourselves while at the same time, we get to share a bond traveling and exploring together.

The two weeks of tournament golf on the PGT began in Davao on Aug 8-12.  Coming off two solid performances, a 10^th and a 6^th place finish in the PGT Bacolod and the PGT Iloilo the month prior, I felt confident and ready to take on Apo Golf Club in Davao.  Fortunately for Monday’s practice round, I had the opportunity to play with two veterans who happen to claim Apo Golf Club as their home course.  Tony Lascuna and Elmer Saban taught me local knowledge of the course and assisted me with all there was to know.  They certainly felt comfortable with the course and knew where to place the ball.  I started to think in my mind that if I were to play well that week, I figured I had to get caught up quick to be ready by Wednesday.  The good thing about PGT events is that if you are invited to the Pro-Am, which I was for that week, it gave me a second opportunity to familiarize myself with the course.

I can easily recap the three-day tournament from Wednesday through Friday in one word and that is: scramble.  Not being able to hit greens in regulation at the usual high percentage that I had been, it was up to my putter and wedge to do the work.  On the first day I dug myself in a hole going 5 over par through 7 holes that it took some gutsy birdies (4 of the last 6) to salvage a one over par round.  The remaining two days of the tournament were played with less than perfect golf but with a sound mental approach and a gritty putting performance, I was able to overcome the flaws and manage to turn in back to back rounds of even par 72.  The one over par total of 217 over three rounds landed me into a tie for 12^th place. 

Talking to my sports psychologist Bob Rotella the following day and explaining to him how different the tournament felt compared to my other solid finishes in the weeks prior, he made clear that there are different ways to get the job done.  Sometimes you play well because of good ball striking and sometimes it’s with a good short game.  There’s no reason to feel guilty finishing well even if you didn’t hit the ball well.  Either way, the only thing the leaderboard shows is your final score – how many strokes it took you to get the ball in the hole.

With the following week’s tournament in Cagayan (Aug. 15-19), a lot of the pros and myself decided not to fly back to Manila and instead take the 6 hour roadtrip straight to Cagayan.  The tournament will be held in Del Monte Golf Club, home of several local pros including the legend Frankie Minoza.  Getting situated a few days prior to the first round, I have Martin Lorenzo to thank for letting me stay in his gorgeous house, which is conveniently located on the golf course.  Without this, then I would be searching for hotels an hour’s drive away in the city.  Instead, I got a cozy queen size bed, a spacious bathroom and room that includes cable T.V. and a pretty sunrise with a view of the 14^th fairway.  No doubt that the adequate rest and the peace of mind of not having to travel back and forth from the course contributed to my success for the week. 

After a steady even par 72 for the first round, I followed it up with a second round of 4-under 68. 13/14 fairways hit and 14/18 greens hit and 28 putts that round.  It felt as easy as hitting the fairway, hitting the green, and seeing whether the birdie putt would fall in the hole.  With six birdies, putts did fall.  On the practice range warming up that morning, it helped build confidence in myself knowing that I was hitting it really straight and really solid, which was night and day from last week’s scrambling effort.  I said to myself, “wouldn’t it be nice if I hit all the 18 greens today?” That thought stayed in my mind all day.  Setting the bar high but having acceptance if I didn’t reach it was the recipe for success that day.

For the third and final round of the tournament, I was paired up with Filipino heavyweights Jhonnel Ababa and Angelo Que, a pairing I was very much looking forward to.  With all of us tied at 4 under for the tournament, we teed it up at 7:20am with the leaders at 9 under par teeing off a few groups behind.  Taking the feeling of confidence and calmness to the first tee, my ball found the smack middle of the tight first hole.  From there, I was off and running.  Staying patient was the number one goal for the day and while I was at it, I relished the moment playing with Jhonnel and Angelo. 

At the day’s end, I shot a 1 under par 71.  The 3 day total (72-68-71), 5 under par was good for a tie for 7^th place.  Despite the several missed putts down the stretch, I left with no regrets and grateful for living another day’s challenge.  For the 4^th tournament in a row, I’ve been no worse than 12^th place.  Consistent play thanks to solid ball striking and reliable putting but by no means perfect.  That’s the beauty of it.  Finishing well doesn’t entail perfect golf as I once perceived it to be.  What I have figured out is that accepting mistakes throughout a round and letting go as quickly as possible really goes a long way when it comes to finishing well in tournaments. 

            Many thanks for the unwavering support of ICTSI, Beneficial Life Insurance (www.benlife.com.ph - You may contact me at csogolf@gmail.com for a list of insurance policies) Mizuno, and BerryWell Health Products (www.thenaturalshelf.net) 

With every tournament, I leave with lessons learned and some unforgettable adventures along the way.  Having a quick chat with Bob Rotella after the PGT Cagayan tournament, he once again reaffirmed, “There is no such thing as talent, Carl. Real talent is perseverance.”  Through the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour, it gives us Filipino golfers that very opportunity to persevere and enhance our games from local, to Asian Tour then one day the PGA Tour.  May we keep the dream alive! 

www.naturalshelf.net

www.benlife.com.ph

PGT Del Monte Final Round

Written: August 19, 2011

            For the third and final round of the tournament, I was paired up with heavyweights Jhonnel Ababa and Angelo Que, a pairing I was very much looking forward to. After taking it low with yesterday’s 68, my confidence was saying that the 5 shot deficit didn’t seem too far a reach.  If things fell in the right place and if I would be able to post a round in the mid 60’s, then things could get interesting.  But my main focus for the day was Bob Rotella’s advice prior to the round, which was to stay as patient as you could ever be for the entire round and not let anything upset or bother you.  It was simple advice but a powerful tool indeed necessary to playing one’s best.

            With all of us tied at 4 under for the tournament, we teed it up at 7:20am with the leaders at 9 under par teeing off a few groups behind.  Taking the feeling of confidence and calmness to the first tee, my ball found the smack middle of the tight first hole.  From there, I was off and running as I rolled in a 6 foot birdie putt on the first hole and a 7 foot par putt on the 2^nd hole.  With another good par save from the bunker on the 6^th hole, things were looking good.  I turned in two under par after getting up and down from the bunker on the par 5 9^th for birdie.

            On the back nine, I continued to hit quality shots but the putts just kept sliding by.  All the putts were well struck and put on a good line but the breaks of the game just denied several from lipping in rather than out.  I could count 7 putts from 10-30 feet on the back nine that had such a good chance at going in the hole.  In the end, I finished the back nine with a 1 over par 37 for a total score of 1 under 71.  The 3 day total (72-68-71), 5 under par was good for a tie for 7^th place.  I left with no regrets and grateful for living another day’s challenge.  For the 4^th tournament in a row, I’ve been no worse than 12^th place.  Consistent play thanks to solid ball striking and reliable putting but by no means perfect.  That’s the beauty of it.  Finishing well doesn’t entail perfect golf as I once perceived it to be.  What I have figured out is that accepting mistakes throughout a round and letting go as quickly as possible really goes a long way at placing well in tournaments. 

            Two tournaments down and two tournaments left in this four week in a row stretch.  It’s back to Manila tonight then off to the Asian Developmental Tour event in Taipei on Tuesday.  Stay tuned!

Final results

PGT Del Monte 2nd Round

Written: August 18, 2011

            Having a late tee time on the first day meant I would have an early tee time today.  I got up at 4:30am to get ready for the 6:40am tee time.  Despite the even par round yesterday, there were still some thoughts of the cut line lingering in my head.  The projected cut from looking at the scores in day one would fall unusually low for Philippine Golf Tour standards at around 2 or 3 over par.  However, one thing I’ve learned about thinking of the cut line during the second round, it only introduces fear.  Instead, the better perspective is to visualize yourself trying to make a move on the leaders.  Asking myself, “what must I do to catch the leaders?” rather than “what must I shoot to make the cut?” has really helped me play more fearless golf.

            Must this round be explained more than a recap of statistics?  Basically, all day I kept climbing deeper and deeper into the red numbers.  13/14 fairways hit and 14/18 greens hit and 28 putts.  It was just a matter of hitting the fairway, hitting the green, and seeing if the birdie putt would fall in the hole.  With six birdies, putts did fall into the hole.  On the practice range warming up this morning, it helped build confidence in myself knowing that I was hitting it really straight and really solid, which was night and day from last week’s scrambling effort.  I said to myself, “wouldn’t it be nice if I hit all the 18 greens today?” That thought stayed in my mind all day.  Setting the bar high but having acceptance if you didn’t reach it was the recipe for success today.

            Tonight, it’s just Mars and I in the house since Baste, Andres, Miguel and his dad left for Manila already.  Tomorrow, game time again and it would be ideal to bring the same game and attitude as today.

Between rounds, we got to check out the longest zipline in Asia. 840m long!

PGT Del Monte 1st Round

Written: August 17, 2011

            The tee time for the 1^st round would be the 2^nd wave.  Because of the later tee time, I was again able to sleep soundly and get more than 9 hours of rest for the second straight night in a row.  Boy does it feel good when your body is telling you that it’s rested and ready to go.

            With the slightest of lower back pains still lingering, I made sure to employ the routine stretches as well as several more that I found online which if done religiously as noted, it could help relieve the pain.  But once I got to the range and started hitting balls long and straight, any thought of pain went away.  You see, for golfers and athletes, pain only comes when they start playing bad but when their performance is good, they never think one bit of the pain.  It’s more of a mental thing really.

            I had a good pairing with Mars Pucay and Eddie Salvador at 10:40am to start at the back nine.  Slow to start off the round, I posted two bogeys in the first  six holes offset by only one birdie.  Once I got things squared away, I made just one bogey and two birdies in the final twelve holes for an up and down but pretty steady for the most part even par round of 72.  The regained confidence in the ball striking is looking promising while the putting stroke remains flawless.  If at one point they all start firing at all cylinders, then watch out! Tomorrow, teeing off at 6:40am.

Road Trip to Cagayan De Oro

Written: August 15, 2011

            With the following week’s tournament being in Cagayan, a lot of the pros and myself decided not to go back to Manila and instead take the road trip to Cagayan.  The tournament will be held in Del Monte Golf Club, home of several local pros including the legend Frankie Minoza.  Once finishing the tournament in Davao on Friday, myself, TonTon, the other pros and amateurs all stayed together one more evening in FTC hotel. This time, in the P188 per person a night hotel. Yeah folks, that’s less than $5! Albeit we were sandwiched in a 16 person room, it did the job that night for the next day, Chuck, Brent, Alex, and I would be off to Cagayan.

            Very fortunate in this aspect was Chuck who had a pickup truck lent by his uncle in Davao for him to use.  The 6 hour trip was long and grueling.  Up and over and side winding the mountains on treacherous and bumpy terrain.  Like sardines in the backseat with our handcarries on our laps the entire trip since there was no space in the truck, we all knew this was still much better than taking the public transportation bus.

            We arrived in Cagayan and once again with Chuck’s uncle, another blessing for them to accommodate Brent, Alex, and I for the evening.  Their hospitality included an evening meal and a breakfast the next morning before we took the 30 minute drive to Del Monte Golf Club.  Over the next two days on Sunday and Monday, I’d take practice rounds reunited with Elmer, my caddy a year and a half ago in Bacolod for the PAL Interclub event.

            Last but not least, I have Martin Lorenzo to thank for letting me stay in his gorgeous and humongous house, which is conveniently located on the golf course.  Without this, then you’ll be searching for hotels an hour’s drive away in the city.  Instead, I have a cozy queen size bed, a spacious bathroom and room that includes cable T.V. and a pretty sunrise with a view of the 14^th fairway.

            One more practice round tomorrow and its show time on Wednesday.  For tomorrow, Ryan, Ton, and I hope to find this zipline adventure place which they say is the longest zipline in Asia. Gotta find it and try it if we’re this close! Goodnight

Davao to Cagayan De Oro Road Trip

Chuck, Alex, Brent, and I packed up for the 6 hour journey

Occasional landslides along the way. No biggie

PGT Davao Recap

Written: August 13, 2011

            The week seemed to go by extremely quick so here I am writing my first blog on my trip to Davao.  Like most excursions around the Philippines this year, visiting Davao will be my first time.  Upon arriving at the Davao airport on Monday morning, I was fortunate to hitch a ride with the tournament organizers to go straight to the golf course.  Once there, I located my assigned caddy for the week who happens to be Marvin Dumandan’s brother.

            Playing the course for the first time, I needed a lot of course tips from my caddy on what to hit off the tee, how the fairways and greens slope, and which greens are the firm ones and the soft ones.  Fortunately, I had the opportunity to play with two veterans who happen to claim Apo Golf Club as their home club they grew up on.  Tony Lascuna and Elmer Saban taught me local knowledge of the course and assisted me with all there was to know.  Apart from the two, I was up against many of the pros who come from Davao.  It was imperative that I caught up and got comfortable with the course right away.

            By the way, roommates for the week included Randy Garalde, Ryan Lam, and TonTon Asistio.  We booked our first two nights at a hotel by the course called Hannies Inn.  The succeeding nights, we found a better deal closer to downtown.  Newer and cheaper hotels at the FTC tower, a hotel I would recommend for future travelers to Davao looking for a quality but budget friendly hotel.

            The Pro-Am day on Tuesday was another chance to familiarize myself with the course.  Again, by sheer luck and coincidence, I was paired up with a pro-am partner who I played with in Eastridge Golf Club back in May.  Bien Cerbo, who happens to be the father of a friend of mine back in Manila.  We enjoyed eachother’s company along with two of our other playing partners to the point that they were kind enough to invite my friends and I to dinner that evening. 

            Describing the last three days of the tournament in one word: scramble.  That’s what I kept telling myself on the golf course.  Recovery, recovery, recovery.  Each time my back was against the wall, I somehow came up with a counter attack.  Examples? Well, here’s to list a few:              5 over after the first 7 holes during the first round but I slowly managed to climb out of the deep early hole I dug myself in.  Remaining 5 over through 12, I finished with some fireworks down the stretch by closing with 4 birdies in the last 6 to salvage a gutsy 73. 

            The remaining two days of the tournament were played with less than perfect golf but with a sound mental approach and a gritty putting performance, I was able to overcome the flaws and manage to turn in back to back rounds of even par 72.

            The one over par total of 217 over three rounds landed me into a tie for 12^th place.  Talking with Doc Rotella the day after the tournament and explaining to him how different the tournament felt compared to my other solid finishes in the weeks prior, he explained that there are different ways to get the job done.  Sometimes you play well because of good ball striking and sometimes its with a good short game as it was this week.  Either way, the scorecard doesn’t tell stories.  All it shows are how many strokes it took you to get it in the hole.  And in each week, if you can find a way to get that ball in the hole, well then, you’ll be in business. 

            Next week, off to Cagayan De Oro for the PGT Del Monte Championship.  See ya Davao!

Aboitiz Invitational Media Day

Written: July 26, 2011

            With the Aboitiz Invitational being held next month and for the first time in partner with the Asian Developmental Tour, its organizers set up a media day to promote the event scheduled for August 31 to September 3.  Colo Ventosa, head of the Philippine Golf Tour asked Artemio Murakami and I to join her in Cebu for this media day on Tuesday, July 26^th.

            It was perfect timing since my brother and parents were to leave at the same time this morning headed back to the U.S.  They brought me to the airport early in the morning in the PAL terminal before having themselves dropped off in NAIA.  Upon arrival in Cebu, the day’s activities included a morning around of golf with the media, Aboitiz representative Sebastian Lacson, and general manager Clifford Celdran who gave me valuable tips about the Cebu Country Club layout.

            After the round and a quick lunch, there was a sit-down press conference like the ones you see in Formula One after a race.  Artemio, myself, and the other organizers gathered to answer questions from the media.  Once the day was done, it was a hop to the airport and a plane ride home.  After today and the past few days, a break is definitely needed to recover from all the exciting adventures.

            Here is a link to the article that came out in Inquirer: http://sports.inquirer.net/9137/tougher-aboitiz-invitational-set-in-cebu

Writeup that came out in the Inquirer