Those who followed the highly successful staging of the Philippine Airlines Interclub recently at Pueblo de Oro and Del Monte would have noticed how the country’s golf landscape has drastically changed.
Almost suddenly, the terrain belonged to a younger breed of golfers whose skill, talent and determination have at least leveled up to those of older players.
They are called the Generation Now. And they are young, hungry and play very, very well.
Among them are Simon Wahing, Cliff Nuneza, Xhylas Luzon, Mark Ivan Parilla and Keith Pagalan (Del Monte); Ralph Rian Batican, Glenn Unabia and John Canlas (Pueblo); Geoffrey Tan, Perry Bucay and Nathan Kawpeng (Wack Wack);
Armand Copok (Manila Golf); Zachary Castro, Maisachi Otake, Miko Granada (Southwoods); Edison Tabalin (Eastridge); and Jacob Cajita (Cebu Country Club).
They represent practically the biggest golf hotspots in the Philippines.
And what do they have in common? An extensive junior golf experience, mainly from the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines.
“I’m very proud that they accomplish this much this early in their careers, and I’d like to thank their respective clubs for giving them the chance to play at such a high level of competition as the PAL Interclub,” JGFP president Oliver Gan said.
He said the experience they gained last week in the Interclub will play a big part in their game in the future.
At least that’s how Wahing felt. He played in the men’s regular scoring 9-over in the first round and 1-over in the last. Both at Pueblo.
“It was a mixture of excitement and nervousness,” the Manolo Fortich National High School stalwart told Tribune Golf in Filipino.
“My ambition is to play professional golf,” added the 18-year-old Wahing who learned the sport through his father, Adolfo who worked as “pulot boy” at Del Monte.
Wahing felt that had he been allowed to play Del Monte, he would have performed better. Because his best score there is seven-under.
Graduating in high school this May, Wahing helped his school win the JGFP National Finals and the JGFP Mindanao Open.
Tabalin, also 18, a nephew of former champion Cassius Casas, was 3-under and 1-under during his stint for Eastridge.
A son of caddie Graciano “Sonny,” Tabalin played extensively in the junior circuit but didn’t get JGFP title. Still, he acknowledged Gan, his wife Han and golf patron Tiffany Copok as among his discoverers.
