Ending the past year with a victory, Alethea Page Gaccion and Miko Granada aspire to start the new year with yet another triumph when the National Golf Association of the Philippines-National Stroke Play Championships kick off 4 to 7 January at the Luisita Golf and Country Club.
Gaccion and Granada starred as they ruled their respective categories in the National Doubles Amateur Golf Championships last 29 December at Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club.
Now the duo will once again see action in the National Stroke Play along with 80 other golfers, many of them young, junior golf campaigners.
Gaccion, the 16-year-old rising star out of Cagayan de Oro, has had a banner year even before the Doubles Amateurs, having won in tournaments staged by the NGAP, Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines and the Junior Philippine Golf Tour.
She is bunched on the first round with Korean Lee Jiwon, Junie Louise Gabasa and Thai Iris Mehri Muslu in the 9:10 a.m. flight hitting off at Hole No. 10.
Granada, who represent the Philippines in the FCG Callaway World Juniors in California, will start at Hole No. 1 at 8 a.m. with Enzo Fianza, Jacob Cajita and David Serdenia.
Granada also had an explosive 2023, winning the JPGT in Caliraya, among others.
Also seeing action in the meet are Reese Ng, sisters Lia Duque and Laurea Duque, Kiara Montebon, Grace Quintanilla, Precious Zaragosa and jungolf stalwarts Lisa and Mona Sarines, Levonne Talion and Tashi Balangauan.
Joining the fray in men’s division are John Robert Bernis, Sebastian Lorenzo, Zachary Villaroman, Shinichi Suzuki and Patrick Tambalque.