Eleven varsity squads are gearing up for the inaugural ICTSI Intercollegiate Tour, a landmark tournament designed to merge school spirit, athlete development and elite-level golf under one unified platform.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is more than collaboration \u2013 it\u2019s a shared vision to elevate the sport, nurture talent, and weave golf into the collegiate athletic fabric,\u201d said Arsenic Laurel, president of the Philippine Golf Foundation (PGF), partnering with Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. (PGTI), during the official launch of the event at Solaire Entertainment City Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The PGF has long championed intercollegiate golf, fostering discipline, sportsmanship and competition. Meanwhile, PGTI has developed the country\u2019s pro and junior circuits \u2013 turning raw talent into champions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis tour fills the gap at the college level,\u201d said Colo Ventosa, PGTI general manager. \u201cIt offers student-athletes a structured, competitive platform to grow their game while staying in school. Ultimately, we aim to make collegiate golf an official varsity sport and integrate it into leagues like the UAAP and NCAA.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is simple: to establish collegiate golf as a recognized, school-based varsity sport. We want more schools to develop golf programs and eventually integrate the sport into major leagues like the UAAP and NCAA. This tour goes beyond competition \u2013 it\u2019s about growth, discipline, and creating opportunities,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The tour launches on June 16 at Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Cavite, with several legs scheduled at the country\u2019s premier championship courses. A stroke-play format will be used, with three-player teams counting the best two scores, plus individual honors up for grabs in both men’s and women’s divisions.<\/p>\n
The format rewards consistency and team depth \u2013 key to building sustainable collegiate golf programs.<\/p>\n
Among the participating schools are college rivals La Salle, Ateneo, College of St. Benilde, La Salle-Dasmari\u00f1as, FEATI University, Lyceum, Mapua, National U, UP, UST and University of the Cordilleras.<\/p>\n
Team captains have expressed excitement and optimism. Some view the event as a stepping stone to professional golf, while others see it as a chance to gain valuable experience and exposure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe expect this to be one of the best collegiate golf events,\u201d said La Salle\u2019s Perry Bucay, crediting ICTSI and PGTI for their organization. \u201cIt boosts competition and prepares players for pro-level tournaments. We\u2019re focusing more now on short game and strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ateneo\u2019s Paqo Barro highlighted the importance of more tournaments:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to have more events and scrimmages. Everyone is training hard, and we\u2019re eager to see how teams match up.\u201d<\/p>\n
UST\u2019s Hero Ang emphasized their long-term preparation:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been training for two years. The competition will be intense, especially with strong teams like La Salle and Ateneo.\u201d<\/p>\n
From College of Saint Benilde, co-captain Sean Granada said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great opportunity \u2013 challenging but fun with many teams involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
CSB\u2019s Amiel Tanjuakio added:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been putting in weekend work both on the range and course. It\u2019s a great platform to showcase skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mapua\u2019s Edrian Mangabay called the event a milestone:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re proud to represent our school for the first time in an official golf tournament. It\u2019s a big step in growing our golf program,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Feati University\u2019s Samuel King Sagaral, on the other hand, is hopeful for the tour\u2019s continuity:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis gives college players more avenues to pursue their passion. I hope it lasts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
UP\u2019s Joshua Buenaventura and Emilio Carpio said the tour promotes camaraderie and consistency in college golf:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe practice individually and hold team sessions. Tryouts for new members are also planned,” they said.<\/p>\n
From Baguio, UC\u2019s Ranz Louie Balay-odao said: \u201cWe\u2019re excited to compete outside our region. It\u2019s a great platform to improve and gain exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n
La Salle-Dasmari\u00f1as\u2019 Jose Audi Espiritu noted the tour’s broader impact:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt fosters camaraderie and could lead to more Filipino golfers competing abroad,” said Espiritu.<\/p>\n
Enderun Colleges\u2019 Kristiana Herrera said it\u2019s about building community:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here for the experience and exposure. Representing Enderun for the first time is already a win,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Eleven varsity squads are gearing up for the inaugural ICTSI Intercollegiate Tour, a landmark tournament designed to merge school spirit, athlete development and elite-level golf under one unified platform. \u201cThis is more than collaboration \u2013 it\u2019s a shared vision to elevate the sport, nurture talent, and weave golf into the collegiate athletic fabric,\u201d said Arsenic…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[308],"class_list":["post-3162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-ictsi-intercollegiate-tour"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3162"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3165,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162\/revisions\/3165"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pinoystep.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}