Fil-Am Golf, Adamson get center stage

THE Wednesday war (Nov. 23) between Adamson and La Salle at the MOA Arena in Pasay will surely grab a big chunk of the sporting spotlight this week. The Soaring Falcons are poising the upset axe and, if we go by our pundits’ pitch, that can’t be dismissed easily as not a possibility.

Look where Adamson is now. Not given much hope of entering the Final 4 of the UAAP Basketball Season 79, the Falcons have soared high, literally. Its runand-gun style has carried Franz Pumaren into heights of greatness again, recalling his historic four-peat for La Salle from 1998 to 2001.

While La Salle has arguably the most deadly lineup this year, one cannot deny that Pumaren only knows too well how to burst the La Salle bubble.

Pumaren has to seriously seek solutions to neutralize Ben Mbala, the runaway MVP winner from Africa. Mbala appears unstoppable in anchoring the Archers’ dream of becoming champs again. In fact, he’s the only one capable at this point to jack up Aldin Ayo’s Cinderella bid at coaching the Archers to victory.

But bench bangers see a seething battle Wednesday between actually a rookie and a veteran—Pumaren being the scarred warrior knocking at the door to stardom anew and Ayo the new prince in shining armor.

And to Pumaren’s misfortune, he couldn’t afford to lose as that would mean La Salle’s outright entry into the best-of-three Finals against the winner of the Ateneo-FEU series that begins Nov. 25, Friday.

Like FEU against Ateneo, Adamson also needs to beat La Salle twice to grab the almost-impossible ticket to a championship showdown.

Meanwhile, over in Baguio City, club captains converge Wednesday at the clubhouse of Camp John Hay for the traditional orientation about the rules and regulations governing the Fil-Am Invitational Golf. The following day, hostilities begin in the San Miguel Corp.-backed event staking two Toyota cars as hole-inone prizes.

And since top golf official Anthony de Leon, the dapper BCC GM, has his hands full anew to ensure another smashing success for the iconic tournament, so with Lanie Licudine, ADL’s charming secretary.

I can’t wait to join you, fellas.