The Konica-Minolta Pro-Am Championship, with several top pros from Thailand and Malaysia eyeing slots to the exclusive event, fires off March 5-8 at The Riviera’s Langer in Silang, Cavite.

“We are honored to have them with us and their interest in joining our event is a testament to the growing reputation of our humble tournament,” said Edilberto B. Bravo, the U-Bix Corporation President / CEBO who is the exclusive distributor of Konica Minolta in the Philippines.

“But to preserve the integrity of the tournament, they will also have to pass through the same rules applied to our homegrown pros”.    

All foreign pros and the country’s top 30 pros based on the rankings of the Organizing Committee, headed by Commo. Danny Pizarro, are restricted from teaming up with amateurs having incides of 5-and-below as of January 2008.

As usual, Toyota Motor Philippines Inc. through first vice president Daniel M. Isla will stake cars for the Celebrity Pro-Am on March 4 and the regular four-day tournament March 5-8.

The tournament has become that popular that the event last year breached the 120-team list, reaching a record field of 129 tandems.

The first six edition from 2001 had a limited roster of 110 teams, with a duo composed of a pro and an amateur hitting one ball alternately from tee to green.

The Pro-Am, the only one of its kind in the world with a full complement of four days of high-level competition, was held yearly from 1958 as a brainchild of sportswriter Taby Tabaniag and bankrolled up to 1994 by San Miguel Corporation as part of then Philippine Golf Circuit.