La Salle-Ateneo rivalry spills into another arena
The La Salle-Ateneo rivalry spills onto another arena as the bitter rivals banner the start of the inaugural ICTSI Intercollegiate Golf Tour (IIT) on Friday at Royal Northwoods in San Rafael, Bulacan.
Though the Green Archers and the Blue Eagles will face off in an arena where cheering squads aren’t allowed, no one sees this match-up to be any less electric owing to the pride they play with for their respective schools.
The IIT serves as a bridge between the junior golf circuit and elite amateur and professional ranks, offering a national stage for rising talents and opening much-needed grassroots-to-pro pipelines in Philippine golf.
Open to both school teams and individual entries, the Tour encourages wide participation from various regions and collegiate leagues, creating a unified platform for golf development.
The event uses a four-round stroke play format, with the three-to-play, two-to-count team scoring system that highlights depth and consistency, where every shot can sway the team standings.
Ranking points are awarded to the top eight teams and individual players in each division: 15, 12 and 10 points for the top three, followed by 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 for the fourth to eighth placers.
The Tour unfolds across several premier courses in Luzon. Round 2 takes place on July 27 at Splendido Taal (men), Round 3 on Aug. 9 at Caliraya Springs (women), and Round 3 continues at Pradera Verde on Aug. 11 (men and women).
The men’s Round 4 will be held on Aug. 17 at Beverly Hills Golf Club in Pampanga, while the women’s final round is on Aug. 24 at Eastridge Golf Club in Rizal. The grand finals are set for Sept. 23 to Sept. 25 at Splendido Taal.
A total of 108 players are vying for individual and team honors.
La Salle leads the field with three men’s and three women’s teams, bannered by Zachary Castro, Jose Lorenzo Flores, Miguel Fusilero, Julia Lua, Michelle Cuenca and Madeleine Valderrama.
Ateneo counters with three men’s squads led by Glenn Unabia, Emilio Curran and Christian Romero, along with two women’s teams featuring Monique Mendoza and Annika Jalbuena. Other schools include St. Benilde, UP, UST, Mapua, Enderun and University of the Cordilleras, which seeks to challenge the dominance of Manila-based teams.
