The 72nd edition of Fil-Am Invitational, the world’s longest and biggest amateur golf tournament, officially kicked off on Nov. 23 with more than 1,200 players from 240 team vying for titles in the regular and seniors divisions.
Many players from the Asia Pacific region, including those from Europe, have already arrived at the Summer Capital for their practice rounds set on Nov. 23 to 25.
The tournament proper for the first week of the tournament featuring the seniors division and lower brackets of the regular division is set from Nov. 26 to Dec. 1. The awarding ce-remony for the first week will be at Camp John Hay.
The practice rounds for the higher bracket of the regular division to include the premier championship Fil and Am flights is set on Dec. 3 to 5 before action formally starts on Dec. 6 to 11. The awards night will be at Baguio Country Club.
The CJH and BCC fairways are currently in tip-top condition while caddies in both courses have already been reoriented about the tournament rules.
The Fil-Am exe-cutive committee has reiterated only those who received anti-Covid vaccines with at least one booster shot will be allowed to play, while golfers will undergo antigen testing during tournament proper.
The committee earlier noted there is a growing interest among Filipino and foreign players to participate in the Fil-Am, as more than 100 teams are still in the waiting list.
The premier Fil and Am championship flights is expected to be a battle among visiting teams led by the Manila Southwoods that has dominated the top podium over the past years. – Harley F. Palangchao
