The Philippines has a golden opportunity to stand on golf’s podium in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
Bannered by recent U.S. Women’s Open winner Yuka Saso, the three-person Filipino contingent has Japan’s alike weather going for them as they try to bring home the country’s first-ever medal in the sport.
Another thing going for them? A battle-hardened coach who had already guided the tricolors to two gold medals and one bronze in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).
Miko Alejandro remains in the ear of Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan, and Juvic Pagunsan in their quest to pull off a surprise and make waves for the Philippines.
Stacked as the odds may be, they remain upbeat about their chances – and that confidence stems from their coach who has full faith in them.
This, all because Alejandro is of the belief that beating odds makes the victory all the more satisfying.
“I’m super excited for this opportunity to go with the players and help them any way they can. It’s their time,” he expressed to Migs Bustos in the newest episode of the University Avenue webcast.
“It’s their time to show that you don’t have to be from a first-world country, you can be from the Philippines and do great things,” he continued.
After all, the New Mexico State alumnus had to trudge through mud just to get to where he is today. At the very start of his golfing career, his varsity team got shut down.
“Sariling sikap talaga dati. When I was first and second year, we were a golf team, but for some reason, it got cut in third and fourth year,” he recalled. “So we just made our own team, found our own funding for the tournaments. Of course, we got the blessing of Zobel; they were still supportive.”
As it turned out, that setback was, indeed, just a chance for a comeback.
“We ended up winning overall champion in that first tournament,” beamed Alejandro. “We made it work.”
That determination is also very much evident in the Zobel golfers who entered the gates along University Avenue after the national team coach.
“(The teachers) didn’t baby us. If we missed out on stuff, they said we still had to do the same things our batchmates were doing,” expressed SEA Games gold medalist Pauline del Rosario. “I feel like without the babying, I got tougher. That’s the biggest takeaway from the time I was in Zobel.”
Mikha Fortuna, Alabang’s latest golfing product now putting for the University of Oklahoma, could only agree.
“It was tough balancing school and, at the same time, pursuing what we love to do. I think, the key was time management and Zobel taught me that,” she stated.
All three, alongside Cookie La’O, are golfers making the Philippines proud around the world.
More particularly for the green and white, however, they are golfers who are proud to have been reared and raised inside De La Salle Zobel.
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The pasture isn’t always greener on the other side. In fact, it’s the greenest along University Avenue. Continue catching all our episodes on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/delasalle.zobel) and also follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/dls_zobel).
