The Philippine Airlines Interclub golf team championships return to Cebu City late this month with Manila Southwoods and Canlubang defending their regular and seniors crowns, respectively.
Four courses will be used in the two-week long event with the 33rd edition of the seniors tournament kicking off on Feb. 27 at the Alta Vista Golf Club and at the Club Filipino de Cebu.
Last year, Canlubang held off Luisita to regain the seniors crown in Bacolod City.
Canlubang collected 573 points to beat Luisita by eight. Del Monte Golf Club was a poor third with 549 points.
The other division champions last year were Cebu Country Club in Founders, Alta Vista in Aviator, Rancho Palos Verdes in Sportswriters and South Bay of Los Angeles in Friendship.
Senior teams are expected to fly in on Feb. 24 for the three-day practice rounds.
The seniors event adopts the Molave scoring system which awards 3 points for par. An even-par score is worth 54 points.
Each team is allowed to field as many as four players per round with the top three scores to count. Each player is limited to two rounds of play.
The 72nd PAL Men’s Interclub, on the other hand, fires off on March 6 at the Cebu Country Club and the Mactan Island Golf Club.
Manila Southwoods overwhelmed the field last year with a record 551 points, 41 points ahead of Luisita. Canlubang placed third with 502 and Del Monte fourth with 469.
Regular teams can field five players per round with the top four scores counting.
The PAL scoring system will be used. A par is worth 2 points which translates to 36 points for players who matched par.
The new golf rules will take effect, according to tournament director Henry Arabelo.
“Hopefully, the new rules will speed up play,” Arabelo said.
Nearly 200 teams are expected to take part in the twin events. These include squads from the United States, Canada and the Middle East.
