Faller and Cariaso blitz field in August

Gil Faller and Domeng Cariaso blitzed the field at the Coral Ocean Point Golf Resort last Aug. 29 to capture the A and B Flight championships of Fil-Taga Golfers Association’s August Ace Tournament.

Faller actually finished third behind Mike Cruz and Ralph Yumul in A Flight. But since the two already won monthly titles this year, the August championship was awarded to Faller.

Cruz and Yumul came away with identical net scores of even par 72. Faller, for his part, finished in a tie with Mando Guban after the two carded a two-over 74. But as luck would have it, Faller went all the way after edging Guban in a scorecard tiebreak.

Jhun Calma finished fifth in the 11-man A Flight after coming through with a 3-over 75.

The rest of the participants, and their scores in parenthesis, are as follows: Pete Reyes (76); Rey Ferraz (77); Jess Yumul (78); George Sablan (79); Ted Malaran (83); and Harry Kang (83).

Cariaso, for his part, didn’t need Lady Luck to smile at him in notching the win in B Flight.

He won the championship outright after firing a 1-over 73. A shot back was Jun “Tiger” Dela Cruz, who had to settle for second place, while third place honors belonged to 2004 Philippine Independence Day winner Glenna Palacios, who carded a 2-over 76.

The rest of the field in B Flight, with their scores in parenthesis, are as follows: Nono Bostre (77); Nestor Siruelo (79); Mike Lamoureux (80); Greg De Torres (83); Manny Po (85); Jojo Dadivas (86); Don Dolenec (92); Henry Bautista (101); Tom Aguon (102); and Rene Ballesteros (116).

The scores of Bautista, Aguon, and Ballesteros were not computed against a handicap because the three are new members, according to Fil-Taga.

Winners of the monthly tournament in the A and B flights automatically qualify for the Fil-Taga Golfer of the Year Tournament.

Ralph Yumul and his father Jess were the first two qualifiers for the 2004 yearend tournament.

Ralph won the January ace of the month title, while Jess was the champion in February. William Retardo and Ted Malaran bagged the championships of the A and B Flights in March, respectively.

The April champions were Harry Kang and Glenna Palacios, while May winners were Albert Pajarillaga and Nestor Siruelo.

Joe Miranda and Father Manny Corcuera were June’s Ace of the Month winners after topping the field in the side event of Fil-Taga’s 106th Philippine Independence Day Tournament.

Former president Rey Ferraz and newcomer Sandy Palon, meanwhile, ruled the greens and fairways last July.

Established in 1993, Fil-Taga’s tournaments operate under a computer-controlled handicap system that creates parity among players in the A and B Flights.

A Fil-Taga Ace of the Month champion is crowned monthly. Regular tournaments are scheduled once a month, normally every third Sunday. Green fees are in the $35 to $40 price range for most tournaments.