Retardo revival in October tourney
William Retardo staked claim to Fil-Taga Golfers Association’s October Ace of the Month Tournament held last Oct. 15 at the Coral Ocean Resort.
The monthly tourney actually was played in conjunction with the Saipan Pacific Lions Club and Fil-Taga Golfers Association 2nd Annual Charity Golf Tournament.
Retardo figured in a triple tie with Mike Cruz and Ed Varias, but the Pacific Islands Club Saipan chef de cuisine nosed out the two with a superior back nine.
Cruz, meanwhile, won second place after edging Varias via scorecard tiebreaker with also a lower score in the last nine holes.
All three veteran golfers fired net scores of 77.
Retardo, who hails from Quezon, Philippines, said he was surprised he played quite well despite the bad weather two Saturdays ago.
“My putting was better than usual. Despite the rain, I was able to focus for a longer period of time, and I think that’s what helped me win,” he said.
The 54-year-old, who dedicated his October win to his beloved family, said the rain was pouring so hard during the Fil-Taga/Lion’s Club tourney that he had to change equipment.
“It was wet for the entire tournament. I had to change my gloves multiple times because they kept getting soaked. The rain was also on and off so we had to take breaks every now and then.”
Retardo, who first picked up a golf club competitively 25 years ago, now joins Mike Cruz (January), Lito Mendoza (February) Dan Ganacias (March), Freddie Cataluna (April), Varias (May), Romy Cayetano (June), Jess Yumul (July), Das Krishnan (August), and Ronnie Santos (September) for the season-ending Fil-Taga Ace of Aces Tournament.