By WAYLON GALVEZ
Despite the health crisis from the COVID-19 pandemic, golf was among the sports that pushed through near the end of 2020 after months of lockdowns both on local and foreign soil.
Filipino bets Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan, the stars of the gold medal winning Philippine women’s team in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, finally made their professional debuts amid COVID-19 when golf resumed play middle of the year.
Saso, who also won gold in the individual category in the Asian Games, made her debut at the Earth Mondahmin Cup in Chiba, Japan after earning her LPGA of Japan Tour card in 2019.
It didn’t take long for the 19-year-old Saso to make her presence felt despite being a tour rookie. She bagged her first title by ruling the NEC Karuizawa 72 championship last Aug. 16, and two weeks later, captured the Notori Ladies Golf Tournament trophy.
Saso leads Japan Tour money list order with approximately P38 million from tournament prize money.
In her first US Women’s Open bid in Houston, Texas, Saso showed that she can contend against the best in the world when she had a brief lead through nine holes in the first round. She went on to finish tied for 13th with six other players that earned her about P4.6 million.
Pagdanganan, who capped 2019 with a gold medal performance in the 30th Southeast Asian Games here, wasn’t as fortunate as Saso in the US Women’s Open as she missed the cut.
However, it was still a memorable first year as pro for the 23-year-old golfer.
She finished third overall in the LPGA Drive On Championship in Georgia, her highest finish in the LPGA Tour. She has collected about P9.8 million in earnings as a rookie in the tour.
On local shore, the government gave approval to golf – both as leisure and competition.
It was a successful return for the ICTSI-backed Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) as veteran Tony Lascuna ruled the Riviera Invitational Challenge, while Princess Superal won the LPGT event last November.
The sport, however, was marred by controversy when Muntinlupa City Mayor Jaime Fresnedi ordered the The Alabang Country Club because to cease and desist from operations for violating community quarantine protocols and guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Despite the call for no sports events under the General Enhanced Community Quarantine by the government, the high-class golf club hosted an intra-club tournament organized by Club 515 last Aug. 28 and 29.
The matter was investigated by the tripartite government agencies made up of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), and the Department of Health (DoH), which crafted the health guideline for sports activities under the Joint Administrative Order (JAO).
JAO recommended the suspension to the National Task Force Against COVID-19 – the implementing body of the IATF.
