DAVAO CITY – The Country Club celebrated its Philippine Airlines Interclub debut by shooting an ego-inflating 138 points yesterday to take the early lead at the rainy start of the 62 nd Men’s Regular championship at the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club.

Anthony Fernando starred for The Country Club when he tamed Palos Verdes with a sizzling four under par 68 or 40 points. Tonlits Asistio and Jobim Carlos supported Fernando with 33 apiece and Dante Beciera contributed 32 for a five-point lead in the premier division.

The Canlubang Golf and Country Club, which is seeking its fourth straight team title, combined for 133 to find itself in an unfamiliar position of second place in the tournament considered as the national team championship.

Alvin Engino starred for the sweet swingers from Laguna with 37 points, followed by Mark Fernando 34 and the 31s of Joseph Labajo and Jessie Balasabas.
 
Veteran campaigners Montito Garcia scored 32 points and Eric Dean backed him up with 30 to power Cebu Country Club to the early Founders division lead. Together with the 25s of Joseph Stevens and Jovi Neri, the parbusters from Cebu made 112 for an 11-point spread in the race for division team honors.

Wack Wack banked on Elphege Wong’s 32, the 27 of E.J. Marcelo, Mike Ozaeta’s 22 and the 20 of Oliver Gan for 101 to become Cebu ’s closest pursuer in the race for division team honors.

Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club shot 99 to place third, followed by Valley Golf and Country Club and Alta Vista Golf and Country Club with 96 apiece, Eagle Ridge 92 Golf and Country Club 92 and Forest Hills 90.

Over at the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club, Camp John Hay Golf Club carded 107 to take the early Sportswriters Division lead on Jeff Razon’s 29, Jack Perez’s 28 and the 25s Ramon Garcia and Choi Hwan Young to steer Camp John Hay to the early Sportswriters Division lead.

Sherwood Hills, Camp John Hay’s sister team from Trece Martirez, Cavite, banked on Thirdy Escano’s 29, the 27 of Oh Seong Hyeok, Rodolfo Manuel’s 26 and Jimmy Borromeo’s 24 also at Palos Verdes to trail by just one point in the battle for   division team honors.
 
Mactan Island Golf came up with 103 on Fernando Mondares’s 31, the 29s of Hubert Calan and Jomar Nunez and Roy Daddula’s 14 to take third in the division made up of 19 international teams from six countries.

Philippine Navy toured the Apo Golf and Country Club course with 96 points on Jun Bandola’s 30, Ayie Beech’s 26 and the 20s of Bobby Inigo and Nelson Roa and to take the first round lead in the Friendship Division.

Fil-Am Hawaii and Eagle Ridge made 92 each to share second in this year’s championship that began under leaden skies at day break then into mid-afternoon rains that slowed down play with muddy fairways on both courses.

This year’s tournament has ABS-CBN Cable Channels & Print Media Group, Airbus, Boeing, Business Mirror, Mizuno, MTV Philippines, Radio Mindanao Network and Solar Sports as platinum sponsor.

Action Asia, Bombo Radyo, Crossover 105.1, People Asia, Royal Caribbean and XFM 92.3 are the major backers while PAGCOR, Rajah Broadcasting Network, Century Park Hotel are the other supporters.

Honda Cars Davao and Honda Megamotors Corp. are the holes-in-one sponsors.

Tournament format allows all the 76 teams competing in the Championship, Founders, Sportswriters and Friendship divisions to have 10 players each. The teams can only field five each round with the best four scores to be counted.

The PAL scoring system is used in the championship ending Saturday that awards one point for bogey, two par, three birdie, four eagle, five for double eagle and six for a hole-in-one.

Camp Evangelista combined for 100 to place fourth, followed by Sarangani Golf 96, Apo Golf and Country Club 95, Zamboanga and Stanford 94 each, Lumbia Golf 93, Iligan 90, Pueblo de Oro 87, Paoay 83, Guinhalaran 80, Northgate 68, Piitsburgh 66, FGA Riyadh 62, Mountain Shadows 51, Ezpar 39 and Fil-Am Florida 27.