Pajarillaga, Siruelo superb in Fil-Taga Ace

Albert Pajarillaga and Nestor Siruelo tamed the long fairways and fast greens of the Marianas Country Club to win the Fil-Taga Golf Association Ace of the Month Tournament last May 16.

Pajarillaga finished the 18 holes of golf with a net score of four-under 68 to beat 14 other golfers in A Flight. He finished three shots ahead of runner-up Joe Miranda, who carted off a score of one-under 71.

Five shots back off Pajarillaga was Douglas Pucket at one-over 71, while William Retardo and John Guerrero closed out the month’s top five with net scores of 74 and 75, respectively.

The top 10, with their scores in parenthesis, are as follows: Mando Guban (75); Lito Mendoza (77); Pete Reyes (77); Gil Faller (77); and Ted Malaran (77).

Siruelo, for his part, topped the competition in B Flight. The reigning champion of the Fil-Taga Golfer of the Year Tournament fired a net score of three-under 69 to best eight other players.

Manny Corcuera shadowed Siruelo all day long but came up short in the end and had to settle for second place, recording an even par 72.

Jun Dela Cruz and Domingo Cariaso finished tied with identical scores of five-over 77s, but the latter edged Domingo in a scoreboard tiebreak to bag third place. Domingo settled for fourth place, while Mike Lamoureux copped fifth place with a 78.

The rest of the players in B Flight, with their scores in parenthesis, are as follows: Greg De Torres (82); Manny Po (86); Don Dolenec (89); and Jojo Dadivas (92).

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

Last month, Harry Kang and Glenna Palacios thrived under the heat of the scorching April sun to win the A and B Flights at the Lao Lao West Golf Course.

Ralph Yumul and his father Jess are 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.

In March, William Retardo and Ted Malaran emerged victorious to win the A and B Flights, respectively,

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.

In related news, Fil-Taga will host the 106th Philippine Independence Day Tournament on June 13 at the Coral Ocean Point golf course. Showtime is 10:30am with the shotgun start from holes No. 1 to 9 at 12noon.