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 News from Around Banderas Bay | October 2005 
Nation's Cup Results at Paradise Village's El Tigre
 Bob Cohen - PVNN
Paradise Village's Nation Cup - Final Round
| | Victorious Venezuela holds the trophy high, along with dignitaries from Paradise Village and the TLA tour. | 
| | Barry Cohen, vice president of the Paradise Village Group thanks everyone as another Nation's Cup concludes at El Tigre. | 
| | The six players repesenting Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico that will travel to Portugal in November to compete in the World Cup. | 
| | Venezuela won the first place trophy, but Colombia and Mexico also join them in quest of a World Cup victory next month. | 
| | It had to be a big event if ESPN was there as they interview Mexico's Alex Quiroz after the team clinched the final spot. | 
| | Pablo del Olmo and Alex Quiroz embrace after winning the sudden death playoff, the 5th time the teams played the 18th hole to earn a berth to play in the World Cup. | 
| | The leader board tells all. With only five holes left to play Chile led with Mexico 5 strokes behind. | 
| | The popular Jesus G. Carmona Jimenez, Director of Golf at El Tigre in his decorative office at the clubhouse. |
The crowd grew larger and larger at the 18th green at Paradise Village's El Tigre golf course as Mexico and Chile were embroiled in a battle, not for 1st or 2nd place, but for the third and final spot to earn an entry to the World Cup next month in Portugal. All the golfers that participated in the tournament and fans watched as both teams went back and forth playing the 18th hole five consecutive times.
First round leader Venezuela began the round three strokes behind Chile, tied for second with Mexico and shot an incredible 64 on the final day of play to finish at 22 under par to win the championship. Even more amazing was the back nine, in which they had an eagle (a 90 foot putt), four birdies and four pars for a 29. In a day in which the golfers played alternate shots, scores were higher by an average of 5-6 strokes than best ball play.
Colombia, starting five strokes behind Chile matched the 64, shooting 31 and 33 on the front and back side. Colombia climbed over teams to finishing second at 20 under par for the tournament. After nine holes of the final round, Chile and Colombia led at 20 under par, with Venezuela two back, followed by Brazil another three back. Mexico and Canada were tied at 14 under par, six strokes off the lead. Mexico was paired with Chile for the final round and Chile birdied two of the first three holes on the back none, leaving Mexico in a seemingly hopeless position.
Then the home team started cranking it up as Chile hit a wall at the 14th hole. They bogeyed 14, 15, 16 and 17 but still led Mexico by a single stroke going into the final hole, the par 5, 621 yard monster. Team Mexico, who easily won the event last year, birdied four holes on the back nine in hopes of taking the 18th and forcing a sudden death playoff. Two huge shots by Alex Quiroz and Pablo del Olmo got them on the green in two, as Chile needed to chip from just off the green. Mexico two putted and Chile couldn't get up and down in two and settled for par, as the teams ended 72 holes of play tied at 18 under par.
They headed back to the 18th tee for the sudden death in which the loser went home with nothing and the winner would make plans for Portugal. The purse at the World Cup is about $5 million, much more than any player in the tournament had ever competed for. Chile's second shot flew wide right behind a tree and sand trap, as Mexico laid up only a few yards in front of the putting surface.
The hole placement on the 18th was extremely difficult, in the back of the green and on the downside of a large slope. Chile chipped over the tree and trap to within 15 feet of the cup, drawing oohs and ahhs from the spectators and Mexico couldn't capitalize on their superior position, leaving them with a 15 footer as well. Both two putted and it was back to the 18th tee once again.
Chile played the hole well and had a short putt for birdie, leaving Pablo del Olmo a most difficult 20 footer, which he boldly stroked into the middle of the cup. With both teams scoring birdies, they went yet again to the 18th tee.
On their fourth attempt on the same hole, Chile had a poor drive and was over 100 yards short of the green, ready to hit their third shot. The high pitch landed and rolled to four feet of the hole, reversing the advantage Mexico gained. Mexico had a long putt that rolled past the hole and had to sit and wait for Chile to drop the short four footer. They missed! Mexico parred the hole and for the 5th time they went back to the 18th tee, the 22nd hole of play Saturday for both teams.
Chile again had a poor drive and their fairway shot sailed into the huge lake on the left side of the fairway. That cost them a penalty stroke and Mexico landed safely on the green in three. Chile hit a good shot leaving them 18 feet from the hole for a putt they had to make. Mexico already made par and Chile missed the putt, and the celebration began. The warriors shook hands and hugged as the crowd cheered the home team.
Ceremonies were held after the event outside the clubhouse and the players were all going to a spectacular banquet that night. The event was televised by ESPN and the Tour de Las Americas all around Latin America. If ESPN was there, you knew it was a big tournament.
Canada finished 5th, never in real contention but shot 15 under par for the tournament, including a closing round 67. One stroke behind them was Brazil, shooting 70 on the final day. Puerto Rico was just one more back, finishing 7th.
There was a big gap of seven stokes to Bermuda, finishing at 6 under par for the tournament. Switzerland was one more stroke behind and was the last team to better par for the event. Jamaica shot even par, finishing strong after an opening pair of 75's.
Six teams finished over par for the tournament. Uruguay was +4, Guatemala +5, Costa Rica +6, Israel +10, Peru +16 and Serbia last at +43.
Congratulations to Carlos Larrain and Manuel Bermudez of Venezuela, Eduardo Herera and Diego Vanegas of Colombia and of course Alex Quiroz and Pablo del Olmo of Mexico. Now guys, let's bring home the trophy to the Americas from the World Cup. Kudos also go to Paradise Village and the El Tigre golf club for providing a first class event once again.
Nation's Cup Day Three
| | Chile's Mark Tullo and Felipe Aguilar led after the second round extended their lead to three strokes, carding a 6 under par 65 for the day. |
Under very cloudy skies, with the threat of rain, golfers finished the third round of the Nation's Cup at Paradise Village's El Tigre golf course in Nuevo Vallarta. Chile, who led after the second round extended their lead to three strokes, carding a 6 under par 65 for the day. Both Mexico and Venezuela shot 63 and 64 respectively to pull within 3 strokes of the leaders. This was the first day of the tournament that a team has held more than a one stroke lead, much different than last year's event, when Mexico ran out to an early lead and kept extending it winning easily.
Mexico's 63 on Friday was the third round in a row where they have improved their score and are the only team to have accomplished that feat. That bodes well for the team as the final day of play is played utilizing the alternate shot system. Venezuela, who led after the first round had problems with the alternate shot Round two and came back with a strong 64 on Friday. One hole on Thursday, which they triple bogeyed actually separates their three shot deficit and a tie for first.
Three other teams are in solid contention to win the title and another two have a shot of finishing in the top three, which will earn them a trip to Portugal next month to compete in the World Cup. Puerto Rico is just a shot behind the second place tie, playing consistent, steady golf all week. Brazil and Colombia are another stroke back at 13 under, with Brazil carding a 62 for the best round of the day.
Canada, who came in 4th last year, missing an 18 inch putt on the final hole that would have tied them for third, is another two strokes back at 11 under, and Bermuda is holding onto their slim hopes, another 4 strokes back at 7 under par.
Switzerland is one of two other teams under par for the event, shooting a 65 to put them at 5 under, while Uruguay is 1 under for the event. There is a tie at even par between Guatemala and Jamaica. Jamaica shot 4 over 75 each of the first two days and shocked the field shooting a 63 on Friday, while the Guatemala team had to be grieving the devastation from Hurricane Stan to their country and managed a 1 under Friday.
The teams over par are, Costa Rica at +2, Peru at +4, Israel at +12 and Serbia at +24. Fans are welcome out to watch the thrilling conclusion on Saturday at El Tigre. The leaders will tee off close to 10:00 AM, with the closest competitors starting just before that. The 18th green and final hole of the classic can be watched from the clubhouse restaurant, sipping your favorite beverage. Expect the contenders to reach the final hole at around 1-1:30 PM and action should conclude by 2-2:30. Good luck to all the teams and we want the Nation's Cup to produce the World Cup winners.
Nation's Cup Day Two
| | Chile's Mark Tullo and Felipe Aguilar lead by a stroke midway through the tournament. |
Golfers at the Nation's Cup have reached the halfway point, and although the leaders have changed, eight teams are still under par, with Chile now leading after a bogey free round of 67 on Thursday. Chile is now 12 under par at 130 for the tournament. Being the only team shooting par or better on every hole left them a single stroke ahead of Colombia, who carded a 68, who was tied with the leaders after the first round.
Puerto Rico added a 69 to their first round of 64, alone in third followed by first round leader Venezuela who shot 10 strokes worse than their opening round, playing the course at one over par for the day. The 11th hole, a par 4 was their undoing, shooting triple bogey on the hole.
Team Mexico tied Chile for the day's best round, shooting a 67, and were the only team to score better in the difficult second round of alternate shots, than they did in the first. Mexico's fine play led many to believe they just might come out roaring Friday morning as play goes back to best ball. Mexico seemed to have found some of the magic in taming El Tigre, as they did so easily last year.
Canada shot an even par 71 and is just a shot behind Mexico and only six off the lead. Brasil had a ten stroke meltdown from yesterday, shooting 74, and are three under par. Bermuda shot 73 and are one more stroke back as Uruguay was the last team shooting par or better with a 75 Thursday.
Three teams are tied at one over par for the tournament; Costa Rica, Guatemala and Switzerland. The Swiss team had the largest margin of strokes lost to par between rounds, dropping 13 strokes. In all reality, each of the above teams have a chance at reaching the top three who earn the right to play at the World Cup next month, held in Portugal and a chance at their biggest pay day ever.
The teams that appear out of contention at midway through the event are Peru at 149 (+7), Jamaica at 150 (+8), Israel at 155 (+13) and Serbia at 162 (+20). Igor Milicic, Serbia's pro and concert violinist promised me at the cocktail party that Serbia would play much better this year and even beat a team or two. Technically they have as the Bahamas were disqualified and placed last, but we want to see it on the scoreboard Igor.
Friday's play will again be best ball and look for scores to be in the low 60's for the top teams, we might even see a 59. Just a weather note; the heat index for the first two days of play hovered around 118 degrees with hardly any breeze.
Nation's Cup Day One
| | 1st round leader Venezuela Carlos Larrain and Manuel Bermudez. |
| | Team Chile in 2nd, a stroke back with Mark Tullo and Felipe Aguilar. | 
| | Colombia, tied for 2nd with Eduardo Herrera and Diego Vanegas. |
The Nation's Cup 2005 played at the par 71 El Tigre golf course at Paradise Village finished first round action with some surprises. Team Mexico last year went wire to wire with an easy victory on their home course, but was only mid-pack after the first round Wednesday. Playing with Alex Quiroz and Pablo del Olmo, the same as last year's dominant team, they struggled to a 3 under par 68.
Leading the field by a single stroke was Venezuela, shooting a blistering 9 under par 62. They did have company close to the top in the event in which the top three finishing teams win a berth to the World Cup in Portugal next month, with a purse in excess of $4 million dollars. Just a single stroke back was Chile and Colombia showing South American dominance in the early going. Another stroke behind were Brazil and Puerto Rico, the first team to hit the scoreboard from a country out of South America.
Play for the opening round was best ball, which provides for lower scores than we should see Thursday when the teams play alternating shots. They go back to best ball on Friday and conclude the tournament with the difficult alternating shot play.
Shooting 65 were Canada and Switzerland, sharing 6th place, but only 3 strokes behind the leaders. Another stroke back was Bermuda (66) followed by Uruguay (67). Mexico shared 10th place with Guatemala shooting 3 under par 68.
Those were all the teams under par and three strokes behind the tightly bunched back were Costa Rica and Peru, shooting an even par 71. The remaining teams were all over par, Israel shooting 74, Jamaica 75, and Serbia at 7 over par 78.
It was a balmy hot day at El Tigre with virtually no wind and overcast skies. Expect Thursday's score to be higher due to the format change, but this year there will be no runaway winner in this tightly bunched field, playing for stakes far better than they have ever competed for in the past. Come out to El Tigre in Nuevo Vallarta and cheer on your favorite country of just watch some spectacular golf. |
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