Rolando Bregente Jr., a native of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, etched his name in collegiate golf history on Wednesday by winning the inaugural NCAA Season 101 Golf Tournament at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club's West Course. The 24-year-old Lyceum of the Philippines University golfer fired a one-over-par 73 to capture the historic title in the tournament presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
Bregente, who started learning golf at age 8 while his father worked as a caddie at Del Monte Golf and Country Club, leaned on five birdies to edge University of Asia and the Pacific's Zach Villaroman by one stroke. College of St. Benilde's Sean Granada finished third, two shots behind.
"This is the first NCAA golf tournament, so I promised myself to give my best. My name will be in the record books as the first to win it," Bregente said.
The Bukidnon native credited Philippine golf legend Frankie Miñoza as his inspiration. Already a two-time NGAP championship division winner this year and a member of the national team that competed in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, Bregente continued his steady rise from provincial standout to collegiate champion.
PSC Chairman Patrick Gregorio described the NCAA golf tournament as a major step for grassroots sports development and said it complements the PSC and National Golf Association of the Philippines' "Fairways to the Future" program. Gregorio explained that the initiative aims to open more opportunities for young golfers nationwide by combining grassroots access with competitive tournaments.
"The PSC golf grassroots roadmap is clear. We cannot just create a grassroots program without having tournaments, and this is where collegiate leagues such as the NCAA come in," Gregorio said. He also welcomed the addition of golf, weightlifting, boxing, and gymnastics to the NCAA calendar for the first time in the league's century-long history.
"I am deeply grateful to the NCAA for answering the call and staging a golf tournament as well as three other sports for the first time in over a century right here in Season 101," he added.
For Bregente, the victory carried personal significance after years of training on Bukidnon's fairways while dreaming of following Miñoza's path to international success. "He's my inspiration. One day, I want to be like him," Bregente said.
College of St. Benilde ruled the team competition with 115 points behind Granada, supported by Miguel Aguilar, Nathan Jasper Lee, Isaac Ong, Christian Adrineda, and Andrei Lee. Lyceum placed second with 101 points behind Bregente, Jan Philippe De Claro, and Michael Ray Bolano, while UA&P finished third with 95 points led by Villaroman, Chloe Rada, and Johann Pancho.
In the open division, San Beda's Ice Reyes shot a four-over 76 to beat Mapua's Armand Cajayon and Letran's King Gabriel Raymundo. Lyceum's Bolano registered the longest drive at 325 yards, Raymond Paconla delivered the most accurate drive on Hole No. 13, and CSB's Miguel Aguilar won the nearest-to-the-pin contest after landing his shot four feet and three inches from the hole on No. 8. In the guest division, Ian Umali topped Mark Ronquillo via tiebreak after both golfers carded 80s, while Paolo Sunga placed third with an 83.
Atty. Jonas Cabochan of San Beda University, host school of the event, thanked the PSC for supporting the landmark tournament. "This milestone would not have been possible without the PSC's drive and support in mounting a groundbreaking tournament such as this," Cabochan said.
