Cagayan Sneeze

MASTER BLASTER

Neil Bravo

CAGAYAN DE ORO—The banner says “Cagayan Heat.”

This is not Miami, but the Heat word fit perfectly for Cagayan, known better in the country as the “City of Golden Friendship.”

On Monday at the Pueblo de Oro course, the intense heat at mid-day was almost unbearable most especially if you are playing one of the worst games golf has ever seen. I played so bad I came down a sorry victim to the beauty that is Pueblo de Oro.

Lined with some of the best architectural masterpieces like glass-encased houses and Mediterranean-inspired structures, the fairways looked like a vast park and playground. Lakes surround some holes and the rolling terrain provide for a variety of hitting positions.

I marveled at the beauty of this Robert Trent Jones, Jr. creation. But that was all to it. Behind the disarming beauty are its killer charms.

I went down like a distraught lover dazed by its poison.

At the end of 18 holes, I limped back to the clubhouse with my heart broken. This beauty is just too unforgiving.

The next day, the entourage of the PAL media playing in the two-day tournament motored to nearby Del Monte. This mountain-top layout in cool pineapple-scented mountains of Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon is home to two of the country’s golfing greats—Celestino Tugot and Frankie Miñoza.

An early morning drizzle and an overcast sky lowered the temperature further.

Two holes after, we called it a day. The downpour made the fairways soggy and almost unplayable. There was no point playing on. The game and the course is no longer there to enjoy. The weather has taken over. But that’s golf.

Sometimes you play good. Sometimes you play bad.

And sometimes, you sneeze.