Panlilio etches NGAP legacy as Phl Open gets underway

CARMONA, Cavite — The Philippine Open is set to stage its biggest edition in 108 years starting Thursday, and National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) president Al Panlilio could not be prouder of how far the tournament has come.

With a record $1 million (around P64 million) prize purse at stake, the tournament returns to Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club for the second straight year, attracting some of the Asian Tour’s top players and foreign contenders seeking to strengthen their bids for the Order of Merit title.

For Panlilio, reviving the Philippine Open last year was only the beginning of a bigger plan to strengthen the country’s golf program and restore its standing in the region.

His biggest goal is to unite the local golf community behind a renewed national team program, anchored by the establishment of a National Training Center (NTC).

“That’s the ultimate plan; the legacy I want to leave at the NGAP — this will be a game-changer for the sport,” Panlilio said, revealing that the facility is expected to rise in the near future.

The NTC will provide aspiring national team members access to proper training facilities, coaching and development programs to prepare them for international competition.

In the Philippine Open, Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand and Travis Smyth of Australia are set to battle for the Asian Tour Order of Merit title, while local champion Angelo Que leads the Filipino contingent following the withdrawal of former champion Miguel Tabuena due to a tear in the radial collateral ligament (RCL) of his left thumb.

Aside from Que, who captured the crown in 2008 at Wack Wack, 2019 champion Clyde Mondilla, and multi-titled Tony Lascuña will carry the fight for the home bets as well as Keanu Jahns, Justin Quiban, Sean Ramos, Lloyd Go, Rupert Zaragosa, Jhonnel Ababa and Reymon Jaraula.

Also in the star-studded field are Jeffren Lumbo, Russel Bautista, Art Arbole, Carl Corpus and Aidric Chan.

Panlilio said he hopes to replicate the collective effort that helped build Gilas Pilipinas during his time with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, which saw the national basketball team sustain its appearances in the FIBA World Cup, reclaim the Asian Games gold medal after 61 years and continue its push for an Olympic return.

“The NTC for golf will make sure that our national athletes are well-taken care of. Our target would be to make sure that the Philippines returns to being the yardstick in our region and to make Olympic stints in golf a regular fare,” Panlilio said.

Funding, however, remains crucial to turning that vision into reality.

One of the NGAP’s first steps was to channel most of the additional fees collected from handicapping earlier this year toward the national team program, making local golfers stakeholders in the sport’s development.

“There’s no better way to do that than make every golfer in the country a stakeholder,” Panlilio said.

“We at the NGAP will be responsible for making that happen. We will be answerable to our stakeholders. That’s why we want to make the national team click again.”

For now, Panlilio is focused on making the Philippine Open a success, hoping a Filipino contender can claim the title at the famous Carmona course.

He also wants to make the tournament bigger and more prestigious in the coming years, with the NGAP working toward a partnership with the Philippine Sports Commission under chairman Patrick Gregorio.

“We will definitely hold it again next year and beyond. We will try our best to make it bigger because this tournament is held in such high regard because of its history,” Panlilio said.