22 Philippine Showbiz Today
22 Philippine Showbiz Today
October 22 February - November 8 - 217 , , 2018 2017
SPORTS
PAL Seniors Interclub
Luisita gets familiar with Bacolod courses
Despite an intact lineup , Luisita Golf Club is not taking anything to chance as it guns for back-to-back titles in the 32nd Philippine Airlines Senior Interclub golf team tournament in Bacolod City next month .
Except for former pro Eddie Bagtas , Luisita sent all its members to play three rounds in Bacolod two weeks ago , twice at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club ( formerly Marapara ) and once at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club ( Binitin ).
The Tarlac-based squad ended the two-year reign of arch rival Canlubang last year in Davao , leading from start to finish for an 11-point
victory .
Luisita captain Jeric Hechanova said three of his players have not played both courses , prompting him to bring the team for a quick familiarization tour .
“ Hindi tayo nakakasiguro dahil mahirap ang mga courses ,” said Hechanova , noting that the team struggled during their practice rounds .
“ Siguro , a five-over par round should be a good score to aim for ,” Hechanova said . “ To score 50 points in these courses would be very good .”
Golf
Under the Molave scoring system which awards 3 points for par , regulation score is worth 54 points .
Aside from Bagtas , the other returning Luisita players are Rodel Mangulabnan , Raffy Garcia , Edmund Yee , Allan Alegre , Jinky Tuason , Benjie Sumulong and Chito Laureta .
Luisita is the most successful seniors ’ team with 16 titles followed by Canlubang with nine .
The seniors event , which is played a week before the regular Interclub , is set March 1-4 .
Close to a hundred teams , divided into four divisions , are expected to see action in the four-to-play , three-to-count tournament . ●
Softball
Ateneo blanks NU in UAAP softball tournament
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Juan Paulo Macasaet worked a no-hit , no-run five inning start in leading defending champion Ateneo to an abbreviated eight-inning 11- 0 victory over National University Wednesday in the UAAP baseball tournament at the Rizal Memorial ballpark .
The curve ball throwing Macasaet struck out five of the 15 NU batters that crossed his path in a magnificent show of pitching prowess that reminiscent of his winning last season ’ s best hurler and Most Valuable Player awards .
Conrado Lorenzo Banzon , playing left , went a near-perfect fourof-five times at bat at the forefront of the Blue Eagles ’ mighty 14-hit surge , five at the top of the opening frame that resulted in Ateneo ’ s only needed four-run burst en route to its second win in as many outings .
Banzon led off the title defenders ’ four run attack in the first period with a triple to right-center before crossing the plate on a single by centerfielder Marco Luis Mallari ,
A fielding error by Bulldogs ’ third baseman following losing pitcher Clarence Caasalan ’ s killing designated hitter Christopher Hilario saw Mallari rushing to third then home on another base-hit by Roque Andaya .
Caasalan hit rightfielder Lorenzo Orbeta by a pitched ball in the next play paving the way for Macasaet , who boarded on another blunder , to
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follow his three teammates home in what virtually awarded the the Eagles their second straight triumph .
Still uncontented , Banzon , Macasaet and Dino Almonte tagged Caasalan with a double each and Hilario and Orbeta a single each as the Eagles threw the contest wide open with five more markers in the fifth .
That mighty stand finally killed all the hopes there were for the Bulldogs to score a win after their opening day loss to second seed University of Santo Tomas .
Where National U failed , Adamson University succeeded .
The Falcons erupted for three runs at the upper half of the eighth frame that proved enough in outplaying University of the Philippines , 8-5 . It was the Falcons ’ first win in the seven-team field following a heartbreaking 2-3m loss to La Salle in the inaugural day last Sunday .
The Maroons actually matched the Falcons ’ nine-hit barrage , including a pair an inning earlier that included a two-run home run by Mark “ Tuballas . b But Adamson put that effort to waste with that eighth inning binge .
Meanwhile , the women ’ s softball titlist Adamson Lady Falcons resume their chase for history as they tryn to move one step closer to winning their eight consecutive title victories today when they face the Lady Eagles in one of the three
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games scheduled today , also at the Rizal ballpark .
The Lady Falcons , who last season had won seven straight , battle the Lady Eagles at the main game , eyeing their third win in as
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many start . UST , also with a clean 2-0 mark , meets University of the East ( 2-1 ) at 11 a . m . La Salle ( 2- 1 ) plays winless National at the 9 a . m . opener . ●
- Eddie Alinea
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Pacquiao puts Bob Arum on suspense mode
Bob Arum is itching to make a Michael Buffer-like introduction of his April 14 show at Madison Square Garden in New York .
But the star of the show , Manny Pacquiao , has yet to formally commit , preventing the Hall of Fame promoter from doing just that .
“ We are trying to get hold of Michael ( Koncz ) because I have to make the announcement soon ( since the fight is just a little over two months from now ),” said the 86-year-old Top Rank chief , referring to Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz .
The camps of the main event fighters , Terence Crawford and Jeff Horn , tabbed to fight for the Australian ’ s world welterweight crown , and the opponent of the 39-year-old Pacquiao , have agreed on the terms .
Arum is actually ready to start drumbeating his first big card for 2018 .
“ Instead of bringing the fighters over here for the press tour , we ’ ll just use satellite television ,” said Arum from his Las Vegas home .
While a few names have been dropped , former world champion Mike Alvarado of Denver seems to be the frontrunner to land the Pacquiao payday .
It will be the first time the eightdivision champion will fight in the Big Apple , having fought almost exclusively in Las Vegas since 2001 .
Last time he was in action , Pacquiao suffered an upset decision loss to Horn in Brisbane , Australia , last July . ●
- Nick Giongco , MB Sports