The country’s very first US college golf camp was held on November 24 and 25 at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club. There are many opportunities for our juniors to gain entry into the US collegiate sports system to avail themselves of a quality education and the chance to take their games to the next level.
The US College Sports Camp Philippines saw the men’s and women’s golf team coaches from US Division I schools, Southern Utah, Arkansas-Little Rock and Seattle University to the Philippines hold a two-day golf camp for 31 junior golfers aged 12 to 18.
The event gave the participants a college training day experience in a small group setting directly under the US coaches. Each camper received in-depth expert instruction on full swing, short game, course management, tournament preparation, mental game, fitness and instruction. They were given an overview of the NCAA recruitment process and the transition from junior golf to the ultra-competitive college game.
This event was made possible through the efforts of lawyer Bobbet Bruce and US College Camps George Duangmanee. Bruce, who has been involved in junior golf for over 10 years said,” This is a breakthrough event for our junior golfers and will give them the rare opportunity of showcasing their talent in front of top golf coaches from the US without leaving the country.” Duangmanee added, “We are very happy to be in the Philippines and to be part of history. We hope that we can help a lot of Filipino junior golfers navigate in their US college golf recruitment journey. There are a lot of talent here that needs to be given the opportunities to play at the highest level of college golf.”
The coaches who participated in the event were Southern Utah Men’s and Women’s Richard Church, Jake Harrington, Golf Director for the Men’s and Women’s programs at the University of Arkansas—Little Rock and Marc Chardonet, Men’s and Women’s Head Coach at Seattle University.
The coaches were very impressed with the talent that they saw and even more impressed with the level of proficiency in the English language. A stark contrast to other Asian recruits that struggle to surmount the language barrier necessary to fulfill the requirements of American universities and colleges.
The camp opened our juniors’ eyes to the various opportunities to get an education as a student athlete in the American setting. There are so many programs and grants at the colleges in all three divisions throughout the United States that an enterprising junior will certainly be able to find a school whose program will allow him or her to prosper and grow.
A January 2019 workshop/minicamp for juniors who want to actively pursue the opportunity to play college golf in the United States and a full camp in May with close to 10 coaches and an expanded field of 80 kids are already in the works.
Teijan Mercado, James Luguban, Jacob Magat, Joaquin Gomez, Conrad Limcaco, James Limcaco, Pocholo Medina, Graeme Tamayo, Gilbert Purcia, Samuel Sagral IV, Jolo Magcalayo, Jona Magcalayo, Gabriel Bolivar, Jacob Bolivar, Sophia Magbitang, Kim Tae Soo, Lurea Duque, Masaichi Otake, Dominic VIllamor, Bernette Morillo, David Guanko, Sean Ramos, Zach Castro, Gillian Cua, Miguel Ilas and Raid Sarmiento from De La Salle Zobel, Riggs Illescas, Maio Castaneda and Jacob Rolida from Ateneo, Anya Cedo and Annyka Cayabyab from St. Paul Pasig and Paqo Barro from Laurel Springs School participated in the camp.
The event was made possible by US College Camps in cooperation with Golf Globally, Llc., J.L.M. Hotel and Food Management Inc. (Jollibee—Lopez, Quezon), De La Salle Zobel and venue benefactor, The Southwoods Golf and Country Club.