Sadly, the fifth staging of the Resorts World Manila Masters is also the last. You see, the five-year agreement between Resorts World Manila and the Asian Tour to fund the tournament as the title sponsor has come to an end. But what a glorious tournament it was!
In the five years of the Resorts World Manila Masters, the country has been treated to some marvelous golf. The tournament has been notoriously difficult to handicap. It has been nigh on impossible to predict a winner. In three out of five years, the tournament has gone to a playoff to determine a winner. In 2012 Lian Wen Chong of China defeated Prom Meesawat to win the first Resorts World Manila Masters. Playoffs were the norm in 2016 and in this final edition, with S.S.P. Chowrasia and Micah Lauren Shin, respectively, emerging victorious.
Only once in its five-year history has one man dominated the event. That happened in 2013, when Mardan Mamat again resurrected his flagging career on Philippine soil with a masterful dissection of Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club’s Masters course.
Then in the only other edition not to go into a playoff, we were treated to a near miss when Jbe Kruger’s eagle chip to tie Natiphong Srithong just grazed the cup to give the win to the first year professional. We have been treated to marvelous golf at the Resorts World Manila Masters.
Beyond the golf, the Resorts World Manila Masters has always shown a strong humanitarian side to the golf. In 2012 Supertyphoon Yolanda devastated most of the Central Philippines. The Asian Tour, Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club and the players themselves were quick to respond with donations to the Red Cross. The winner then, Liang Wen Chong of China, donated half of his winnings to the victims of the typhoon.
This year saw the same charitable spirit again come to the fore. Earlier this year, Resorts World Manila was devastated by a lone gunman that set fire to tables on the gaming floor that saw a number of Resorts World Manila employees and patrons lose their lives to smoke inhalation. The parties involved were quick to respond and gave sizable donations to the survivors of the disaster.
The Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club has proven to be the ideal venue for the Resorts World Manila Masters. The Masters course, designed by the great Jack Nicklaus, has proven to be a great test for the best golfers in the world. It has hosted the Eisenhower Cup—the world cup of amateur golf and numerous professional tournaments, including the Philippine Open.
It is a course characterized by a multitude of stream crossings and lakes. Water is in play on 15 of the 18 holes. It’s not overly long but the Masters requires thoughtful accuracy to put up a good score. The greens have always been good, and the club is working to make them even better.
This is a beautiful layout and it looks spectacular on high-definition television. The drone shots are particularly compelling. You couldn’t have picked a better venue to define the image of Philippine Golf in a broadcast going out to 123 countries.
It would be a shame to let an event like this that puts the Philippines in such a positive light just fade away. Particularly after the Resorts World Manila Masters has established itself as one of the playing professionals’ favorite tournament destinations in the region.
Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club Chairman Bob Sobrepeña and the Asian Tour are not going to let that happen. They’ve been hard at work looking for the money to put the tournament back on the Tour’s schedule. They’ve made progress. Although we’re not at liberty to discuss the sponsors that will be supporting next year’s event, there are those that have confirmed. A title sponsor is all that’s needed now. Perhaps, one of our mega-conglomerates will step up?
Why not? The tournament is a great advertisement for the country as a destination for golf. If its recent history is any indication, the golf will be every bit as good. So, let’s not lose hope. Much is being done behind the scenes to keep this wonderful event alive.
Thanks are in order for Resorts World Manila for funding the richest and most exciting golf tournament in Philippine history. Without their vision and commitment it never would have come to pass. To Resorts World Manila CEO Stephen Riley and Vice President for Gaming and Marketing Jeff Evora, you have our deepest gratitude, gentlemen. You have done Philippine golf a great service and we thank you.
Image credits: Mike Besa