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Cruz ecstatic after winning his third Golfer of the Year
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Posted on Jan 22 2009
After coming home empty handed the last eight years, Mike Cruz finally regained the Fil-Taga Golfer of the Year title last weekend in two separate golf venues on Saipan.
Cruz won the 2008 edition of the annual tournament after two days of taming the greens and fairways of the Kingfisher Golf Links and Marianas Resort and Country Club.
It was his third overall Golfer of the Year plum, following similar triumphs in the 1997 and 2000 editions of the event.
“It really proves that it was not just pure luck,” kidded Cruz, who is the incumbent president of FILTAGA and one of its founding fathers.
Except for skipping last year’s tournament, Cruz has been a qualifier for the Golfer of the Year tournament since 1993.
Cruz finished with a net score of 141, six strokes ahead of runner-up Senate President Pete Reyes (147).
Cruz was two strokes behind leader Rey Ferraz after the first day on Jan. 17 at the Talafofo golf course but bounced back after the second day at the Marpi venue on Jan. 18.
Completing the Top 7 finishers for the Golfer of the Year were Ted Malaran (148), Fred Cataluna (150), Rey Ferraz (151), Leo Ganacias (157), and Nono Bostre (162).
Asked to assess his game, Cruz said almost all of the players did not execute well last weekend.
“In the second day, my first five holes was not good enough but I eventually recovered the rest of the way,” he said.
Cruz said that his game was superior from the rest of the field from sixth to the 18th hole, despite a no-birdie round.
“I had chances in four times for birdie but it just keep hitting near the hole,” he said.
Cruz will continue to savor the victory on his upcoming one-week business trip to the Philippines.
As if the 2008 championship was not enough, Cruz also took home the January Ace title last Sunday with his net score of 69, followed again by Reyes with his 72. Malaran (72), Jojo Geva (72), William Retardo (73), Ganacias (75), Jhun Ortiz (75), Cataluna (77), Rodrigo Nimes (78), Matutino Adony (79), Joe Miranda (80), Manny Po (80), Rey Ferraz (81), Jhun Calma (82), Nestor Siruelo (84), Manny Corcuera (85), Bostre (87), Richard Meimban (91), and new member Orly De Leon (129) completed the list of participants for the January bash.
