New NGAP chief vows to bring back old glory
NEW National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP president Martin Lorenzo on Wednesday vowed to steer Philippine golf to new heights with emphasis on providing the amateurs more international exposure and bringing back the country’s lost glory in the international arena.
bring NGAP to even greater heights. Whatever gains it achieved the last few years, we will take off from there and take it to the next level,” said Lorenzo of Luisita Golf and Country Club.
Lorenzo garnered the second highest number of votes among the 18 candidates during the NGAP Annual Council Meeting and biennial elections at the Navy Golf Club last Tuesday. The 11man board later named him as the new NGAP head.
Kit Angeles of Eastridge topped the polls with 71 votes with Lorenzo placing second with 67 and Joe Dagdagan of Anvaya drawing 33 votes and edging Orchard’s Conrad Benitez by one for the last spot in the board.
Joining them in the new NGAP board are Aurelio Montinola (chairman) of Manila Golf, Jose Inigo (vice president) of Riviera, Al Panlilio (treasurer), also of Luisita, Jun Galindez (auditor) of Alabang, and members Jose Amado Angeles, Jose Dagdagan, Rolando Romero of Aguinaldo, Rodolfo Angus of Navy, and Shin Paul Chan of Sherwood Hills and outgoing president Caloy Coscolluela of Alabang,
“There’s so much potential in golf. I believe that what’s lacking with our amateurs is exposure in competitions both local and international. With the right funding and employing the right coaches, we can get back lost glory,” Lorenzo said.
The golf head also plans to initiate an honest- to- goodness grassroots program, particularly in the provinces, where loads of talents remain untapped.
“I was raised in Del Monte in Bukidnon and that’s one place where I think we can discover kids who can become champions in the future. But we need to support them with equipment and training for them to display their skills,” he added.
“It will not be an easy task but with smooth execution and tapping the perfect people, we can pull it off,” said Lorenzo.
PARIS: Serena Williams made a winning return to Grand Slam tennis which was as memorable as her body-hugging black catsuit when she reached the Roland Garros second round on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old downed Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7/4), 6-4
since her 2017 Australian Open triumph.
“I missed Roland Garros so much, I missed the battle,” Williams, the 2002, 2013 and 2015 champion, said after Chatrier Court.
“It’s been two years since I played here. It wasn’t easy but I have been training really hard. I feel good and just so happy to be back here.”
As Williams— and her eye- catching
wins but a few scares for 10-time champion Rafael Nadal and two-time winner Maria Sharapova.
Nadal racked up his 80th win in Paris by seeing off Italian lucky loser Simone Bolelli 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (11/9).
Sharapova, playing the tournament for
2016 through a doping ban and last year when she was refused a wildcard, battled 4-6, 6-3.
Williams, the winner of an Open era record 23 Grand Slam titles, had arrived at Roland Garros with just four matches under her belt in 2018, the last of which was in Miami in March.
Having been off the tour to give birth to daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian in September, many in the sport wondered if she would still be a contender at the majors especially with her ranking at 451.
However, she gave a stinging response to the doubters on Tuesday even if her win over the 70th-ranked Pliskova tested the American.
Arriving on Philippe Chatrier Court in a black catsuit, offset with a pinkish-red waistband, Williams trailed 0/3 in the
The three-time champion champion then fell 0-2 behind in the second set and was forced to retrieve another break to level at 4-4.
She saved three break points in an eightminute-plus 10th game before taking victory, setting up a second-round clash with Australia’s Ashleigh Barty. The only con- for Pliskova, the solation twin sister of - ing with 15 aces, the most hit against Williams since such records began to be kept in 2008.
Nadal ‘suffered’
World No. 1 Nadal had been two sets up but 0-3 down in the third to Bolelli when rain caused the tie to be suspended late Monday.
He quickly levelled at 3-3 on Tuesday, saved four break points in the eighth game before saving four set points in the breaker.
The top seed eventually claimed victory on a third match point when Bolelli dumped a forehand into the net.
Nadal, bidding for an 11th title in Paris and his 17th major, next faces Argentina’s Guido Pella for a place in the last 32.
“I really suffered today but it was a good test,” said Nadal who had been in
Novak Djokovic.
Sharapova also survived a serious scare to claim a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Hogenkamp, ranked 133.
Sharapova, the 28th seed, will face Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the second round.
“I love the challenge of being in a
to win,” Sharapova said
after a match that was pushed back from Monday due to thunderstorms. -
set of a match which was delayed from Monday due to thunderstorms, but threw away a 3-1 lead in the second.
Sharapova was staring down the bar-
the 2010 Australian Open when trailing 3-0 in the third, but the former world number one dug deep and reeled off six straight games to edge into round two.
The Russian, who was Paris champion
victory on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Third seed Marin Cilic reached the second round with a 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) win over Australia’s James Duckworth.
Fellow former US Open champion, Nicolas Mahut 1-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov eased to a 7- 5, 6- 4, 6- 2 victory over
main-draw French Open match.
Third seed and 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza defeated 2009 winner Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6 (7/0), 6-2.
World number one Simona Halep, twice a runner-up, had her opener against Alison Riske, the 83rd-ranked American, put back to Wednesday.