For the very first time, the Philippines sent its first-ever delegation of 14 (11 players) to the World Amateur Golfers Championship and Invitational (WAGC and Wagi) in Malaysia to represent, compete and make our country proud and they didn’t disappoint.
Leading the charge for the Philippines was Tonito Payumo of First Gen Corp. and once the No. 1 ranked junior tennis player in the Philippines. Payumo was crowned champion of Division 1, (individual handicap 0-5 of Wagi) with a four-day score of 74, 70, 81 and 70 (aggregate 295) to win by four strokes over Petr Bilek of the Czech Republic.
Oliver Gan of the Philippines came second runner-up with a 300 aggregate score tally also in Division 1 of Wagi, while Mabel Salivio garnered second runner-up honors in Division 3 (individual handicap 11 to 15 of WAGC) with a 293 aggregate.
The World Amateur Golfers Championship and Invitational is the largest amateur golf tournament in the World and has been commemorated 22 times in numerous countries from around the globe. Every year, tournaments are held in over 45 different countries and the winners are sent abroad to compete in the World Finals.
This year, the World Finals was held from November 18 to 25 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The tournament had over 330+ golfers from 38 other countries that were in attendance.
After two practice rounds, all competitors played four days and 72 holes of competition in four of the top championship courses in Malaysia: The Mines Resort & Golf Club, Kota Permai Golf & Country Club, Sungai Long Golf & Country Club and Templar Park Country Club.
Representing the 2017 Team Philippines were: As a team, Team Philippines performed. Overall, Team Philippines’s five-man team (Katigbak, Cruz, Salivio, Leviste and Abarintos) ranked No. 7 in scoring points among 38 other countries and two-man team (Payumo and Tan) finished sixth out of 74 teams after leading the tournament at the halfway point.
Team Captain of Team Philippines is Errol Chua, while Edward Co is cocaptain. Both Errol and Edward not only made sure the players were ready to perform at their best for four straight days but also led Team Philippines in bringing home one of the most prized possessions of the night: The 2017 Tumba Trophy
Named after the late Sven Tumba (WAGC founder), the Tumba Trophy is given every year to the country that embodies the overall vision that Sven Tumba had, which is “Sport Promotes Friendship and Business.” Team Philippines not only excelled on the golf course, they did so by playing as a team, making new friends and having the most spirit.
Next year, there will be over 15 local qualifiers and a two-day National Final to determine the team to be sent to the World Amateur Golfers Championship to be held in Johor, Malaysia in 2018. Santa Lucia Land Inc. was the title sponsor, while Philippine Airlines was the official airline partner of Team Philippines at the World Amateur Golfers Championships.