Golf enthusiasts in the Cordillera are still hopeful that a localized version of the Fil-Am Open Golf Championship will be staged towards the end of the year if allowed by the Inter-Agency Task Force.
The proposed localized tournament would limit the number of participants, who might be required as well that they are fully vaccinated to be able to register for the event.
This, as informal survey showed that majority of the active players in Baguio and Benguet, including many parts of the country, are fully vaccinated.
The three major golf clubs in Baguio, namely the Baguio Country Club, Camp John Hay, and Pinewoods Golf & Country Club, have also required their caddies and other personnel to be vaccinated.
The annual Fil-Am golf tournament, the biggest and longest amateur tournament of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, was cancelled last year due to the pandemic.
The past decades saw the participation of more than 1,000 players competing in the various divisions of the tournament held for two weeks.
The Fil-Am tournament usually starts first week of December with the super seniors, seniors, and lower brackets of the regular division taking place followed by premier and upper brackets of the regular flights on the second week.
But up to now, the National Golf Association of the Philippines has not made any official statement if it is inclined to recommend to the IATF the conduct of official tournaments such as the Fil-Am.
Even the Fil-Am Foundation has not issued any official information if its executive committee has actually convened purposely to discuss the possibility of resuming the tournament,
Baguio City, which plays host to the tournament, has reported that its mass vaccination drive has reached 80 percent of the eligible population. The city government is also opening its vaccination drive for residents from outlying towns of Benguet. – Harley F. Palangchao
