THE SPOTLIGHT has been focused on the 76th Season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the participating teams have taken centerstage. But one team has subtly thrived behind the scenes—the Ateneo Golf Team (AGT).

Arena of their own

With golf not being one of the events in the annual UAAP competition, the Ateneo Golf Team does not receive as much attention and exposure as the participating varsity squads.

Thus, AGT has been driven to look for other tournaments to compete in. The team has found a home in two tournaments, namely the National Intercollegiate Golf Championship and Enrique “Ricky” Razon’s International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Golf Championship.

The ICTSI tournament features two legs in the competition that utilize aggregate scoring. The competition’s first leg begins in the first semester while the second leg starts in January. This school year, AGT has already qualified for the second leg after finishing the initial stage in second place.

On the other hand, the National Intercollegiate tournament utilizes a match play format, a style of play where each team competes for each hole in order to record a point. This tournament is the team’s main competition. “It’s our UAAP,” Team Captain Albert Cahulogan points out.

The squad’s performance in the National Intercollegiate competition has been consistent the past few years, placing third the past couple of years and second three years ago.

Bridging the gap

Despite these recent podium finishes, AGT has had a hard time securing the crown. The biggest hurdle for the team in its quest for a championship title has been outmatching perennial rival De La Salle University (DLSU). The Green Archers have consistently dominated golf in the collegiate scene, proving to be the one true powerhouse university in the sport.

In order for the team to successfully surpass their archenemy, the team has to grow and develop internally. But getting top-of-the-class recruits to bolster their roster is a luxury that the Ateneo team can’t afford because of DLSU’s dominance. Being the undisputed front-runner year in and year out, DLSU is usually at the top of incoming rookies’ list when it comes to choosing which university to suit up for. “That’s why it is hard for us to get players. They all go to DLSU,” explains Co-Captain Paulina Sotto.

Another obstacle the team faces when it comes to fortifying their lineup is the popularity of the sport—or lack thereof. “There’s been a scarcity of golfers, of people joining the team. We understand why we’re not as popular. Not a lot of people know about golf,” admits Cahulogan.

Though it’s usually a challenge to find players that can immediately contribute, or players that have the potential to be great down the line, this year’s batch of rookies is looking very promising.

Newcomers Nicholas Dy Buncio, Pope Flores, Pio Neri, Jama Reyes and Miguel Shah possess great potential and seem ready to contribute right away. “The rookies are really good. That’s why we’re excited,” says the upbeat Sotto.

“[It’s] the strongest batch to come in for Ateneo in a long time,” adds Cahulogan.

The rookies will join six other veterans in this year’s lineup, namely Carlo Falcon, Tiffany Neri, Jigs Sales, Kevin Udasco and the two skippers, Cahulogan and Sotto. Out of the 11-man roster, only Cahulogan and Udasco are graduating this year, which means that the team is in a good position to make some noise not only now, but also in the coming years.

Behind the scenes

Aside from the difficulty of recruitment, another challenge faced by AGT is funding. While they are not among the the UAAP teams, they are still accredited by the university’s College Athletics Office (CAO). As a result, it still receives financial support from the Ateneo in the form of the’s CAO annual budget allotment. However, the funds still fall short.

“It isn’t enough,” says Cahulogan. “Especially since golf is an expensive sport.”

Asked what the amount from the school is able to cover, Cahulogan says, “The money is able to cover the driving range fees as well as the entrance fees to the competitions.”

With the budget allotted proving insufficient to cover all of the team’s needs, members of AGT are sometimes forced to shell out cash from their own pockets. “We have to pay for our caddies, food, carts and transportation,” shares Sotto.

Despite the shortcomings in terms of financial support, the players still feel fortunate to be one of the university’s accredited teams. They cite other benefits such as excused absences whenever the team competes as well as free merchandise like cheer rally shirts.

For pride and glory

Funding issues aside, the promising roster and favorable forecast for this year’s campaign keep the AGT members eager to take their game to the next level. Under the supervision of Head Coach Kevin Lachica, a former team captain of AGT, the members of the team constantly turn in the training hours in hope of fine-tuning their craft.

One reason for the team’s constant hunger to improve is the weight that comes with the responsibility of representing the Ateneo. “We don’t slack off. We still carry the school’s name,” reminds Cahulogan, pointing out that not being part of the UAAP does not make the team any less motivated to bring glory and honor to Loyola Heights.

If the team continues to perfect their game and remain hungry for success, then it’s only a matter of time before the Ateneo Golf Team gets their chance at center stage.