By: Waylon Galvez
DAVAO CITY — A total of 150 players from 14 countries take center stage as the inaugural Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines World Team Championships begins Friday at Apo Golf and Country Club here.
Young golfers from host nation Philippines lead the participating field as they take on challenges from powerhouse teams such as Thailand, China, Australia, Malaysia, Japan, and Indonesia, while individual entries from Germany, India, Chinese Taipei, and Myanmar also see action.
The country is fielding multiple teams in each of the three divisions. Leading the campaign for Team PH in the three-day meet is the JGFP- and NGAP-backed squad of Geoff Tan, Nicole Gaisano Gan, Tristan Jefferson Padilla, and Vito Sarines in the premier 13–18 age-group division.
Competition will also be held in the 9–12 and 8-under brackets. The 13–18 and 9–12 divisions will be played over three rounds, while the 8-under category will be contested over 36 holes. The top Filipino campaigners in the boys’ and girls’ 13–18 divisions will qualify for the Asia-Pacific golf meet this June in Sri Lanka.
The event aims to position Mindanao, and Davao City in particular, as a serious hub in the national junior golf ecosystem — not just a warm-weather playground for visiting pros. This marks only the second international tournament ever hosted by Apo Golf, a milestone for both the club and Mindanao golf.
The first such event was a breakthrough in putting the course on the regional map; this follow-up firmly establishes it in the junior golf tour calendar and gives Filipino juniors a rare chance to compete against overseas talent without leaving the island.
Close to 50 players and their parents have already checked in at Sotogrande Hotel, the official home base of the championships. The JGFP, which has spent years forming solid grassroots programs across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, is organizing the event backed by the NGAP, underscoring the sport’s institutional support.
Major sponsors, including the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), NGAP Islandwide, and JS Gaisano Malls, reflect the overlap of government, federation, corporate, and local business interests in youth sports development.
“The championships are more than a tournament — they embody our core mission of using golf to build character, foster sportsmanship, and promote unity among youth from different nations. We are deeply grateful to the NGAP, the PSC, Islandwide, JS Gaisano Malls, the DoT, the City Government of Davao, and all our partners and sponsors for their support in making this dream a reality,” said JGFP president Oliver Gan.
Senator Bong Go, chairperson of the Senate committee on sports, is set to join the afternoon batch of the ceremonial tee shot with Apo Golf and Country Club president Leo Magno, Department of Tourism Director Lyle Uy, and DoT Regional Director Tanya Rabat Tan ahead of the 3:00 PM opening ceremonies on Thursday.
In the morning batch of the ceremonial tee shot, those in attendance included national team coach Ramon Brobio, JGFP Ambassador Carson Herron, John Gaisano of JS Gaisano Malls, Anthony Uy of Darlington Socks, Tee to Green CEO Paul Reyes, and Bukidnon Vice Governor Clive Quino — underscoring the convergence of sports, tourism, and local business behind this landmark junior golf event.
For Davao City, the JGFP World Team Championships are more than a one-week tournament; they are part of a broader push to use youth sports as a vehicle for community building, tourism branding, and long-term golf development.
By bringing together international junior squads, local officials, and national-level sports leaders, Apo Golf is quietly asserting that Mindanao deserves a bigger voice in the Philippine golf story.
