Golf: Bong Lopez launches junior golf program

Anthony "Bong" Lopez is an accomplished amateur and a multiple-time mentor of the national women's team.  He won the 1983 Asian Junior Championship, the 1992 Philippine National Amateur and came home an individual gold medalist for golf in the 1989 Southeast Asian Games.        With all of those under his belt, he feels this is the right time to give back to his roots at the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines (JGFP) where his storied career began.      Lopez will set-up next month a mini junior golf school project at Manila Southwoods that aims to provide an additional avenue for the budding and young jungolfers, who have the best potential of someday representing the country in local and international tournaments.   To formalize the program, Lopez presented the proposal to JGFP president Luigi Tabuena last week and the latter agreed to give his blessing and the go-signal to launch it. "I am thankful that Sir Luigi accepted my offer to do this on gratis.  This is my way of showing appreciation to the JGFP, which guided me to hone my skills further as I grew up," said Lopez, who guided Chihiro Ikeda to the individual gold medal in the 2009 SEA Games in Thailand.      Aside from Tabuena, Lopez would also like to thank the Manila Southwoods, through its director Alfredo Mendoza, for lending its driving range facility as the school's base.  Under the agreement, Manila Southwoods will allow the free use of the range, including the balls, to up to four players at a given time on practice days every Saturday and Sunday.        On special requests, they will be allowed to test their skills at either the Southwoods' challenging Masters or Legends courses.      "Manila Southwoods has been a staunch supporter of jungolf and amateur players. It was the club who gave me the break to become a Jack Nicklaus certified instructor," said Lopez.      Lopez coaches the country's top six female golfers in Dottie Ardina, Cyna Rodriguez, Jayvie Agojo, Princess Superal, Lovelyn Guioguo and Sarah Ababa plus US-based Mia Piccio and three-time Asian Tour champion Angelo Que and two-time LPGA winner Jennifer Rosales. - AMD, GMA News