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NOW that
its three-year contract to locally organize the
Philippine Open is over, the National Golf Association
of the Philippines (NGAP) will have to meet soon with
officials of the Asian Tour for a possible extension of
their partnership.
After a
recent board meeting, NGAP chairman Leandro “Larry”
Mendoza, also the Transportation secretary, has tasked
director and tournament chairman Pablo Soon to initiate
talks with the Asian Tour, which ran the Open at the
Wack Wack Golf and Country Club for the last three
years.
Soon,
who also sits as a director and sports and games
committee chairman of the Wack Wack board, immediately
contacted Asian Tour vice president Gerry Norquist and
their casual conversation and exchange of electronic
mails looked promising and exciting.
Unlike
in the previous agreement where the Asian Tour paid the
NGAP a certain amount to run the event, the potential
new contract could stipulate a unique approach. Soon,
however, deferred elaborating about how the new contract
would look like.
“Gerry [Norquist]
told me that the Asian Tour is very pleased with the
NGAP’s commitment for the RP Open. We have already
begun with preliminary discussions for the 93rd edition
of the event slated in the first quarter of 2009,” Soon
told the Greenside Chip.
Among
the topics both gentlemen talked about were a new host
venue because Wack Wack, one of the original home clubs
of the Open, will soon close its fabled East course for
a massive water-pipeline upgrading that could run up to
possibly two years.
“Wack
Wack president Luis Tan had already announced at the
awarding rites of the 92nd Open that the East will not
be available next year. The renovation program for the
carabao-grass layout has been forestalled since 2006 to
give way to the Open. But later this year, it will
proceed as planned,” Soon said.
Soon
also said that Valley Golf Club, through general manager
Bong Vilchez, broached the idea of bringing back the
Open to the Antipolo-based club, although nothing is
really certain at the moment.
“It is
all exploratory with Valley Golf. Of course, it would
be a great novelty if the RP Open would be played there
[since] Valley has hosted several Opens in the past,”
said Soon.
Canlubang is also on the negotiating table because of
its Wack Wack East-like features. Others being
considered are many-time RP Open host Manila Southwoods,
which has a hotel facility and its nearness to the
Alabang malls, and 2005 host
Mount Malarayat,
which also has a hotel beside the clubhouse.
But,
Soon also said, there are other factors to consider like
the club’s proximity to the city center, accessibility
to hotels and shopping areas and traffic conditions.
“For
sure, there will be a lot of consultations and
negotiations with the different golf clubs. Just to
make it clear, my job is to look for the best choice as
venue and that the final decision would still be up to
the NGAP Board,” Soon explained. |
