Junior champ Arevalo added to Orchard roster

Junior champ Arevalo added to Orchard roster 

CEBU – Former junior world champion Kristoffer Arevalo suits up for Orchard as it opens defense of its Philippine Airlines Men’s Interclub championship starting Wednesday at the tree-lined Cebu Country Club layout here.

Arevalo, who won the 13-14 title in San Diego two years ago, takes the place of John Kier Abdon in the Orchard roster that is teeming with a lot of veteran talent as it guns for a rare repeat in the tournament unofficially known as the country’s team championship.

The Dasmarinas, Cavite-based squad came here expecting nothing less that retaining the title, based on how it has performed in its preparations.

“We’re playing very well and if we continue doing so, I think we have a good chance of repeating,” team leader Raymund Sangil said after sampling the exclusive layout yesterday.

“The team is very consistent and we are turning in (combined) scores that are very close to even par each time in practice,” added the former pro.

Cebu Country Club, Alabang and Del Monte loom as the major threats with the host club seeking to win for the third time in the last four years.

Cebu CC fared badly in its ‘three-peat’ bid last year in Bacolod but is expected to bounce back hard with its mainstays to exploit their familiarity of the course to the hilt.

Club Filipino de Cebu, a course carved out in the mountains in Danao, will be the venue for the second and third rounds with the final 18 holes going back to Cebu CC on Saturday.

Each team is allowed to field five players each round with the top four scores counting, with each player seeing action in only two rounds, making fielding very important.

Del Monte will as usual be represented by players belonging to its grassroots development program, as it shoots to finally go all the way after close brushes in the past few years.

Hotel H20, Travelife, Boeing International Corp., Business Mirror and GE Aviation are sponsoring the PAL Interclub Seniors and Regular Men’s events. Other backers include Mareco Broadcasting Network (Crossover), People Asia Magazine, Whealth Inc., Aerospace, Uniglobe Travelware Co. Inc., Tanduay Distillers and Intercontinental Manila.(PAL)