PJS Hosts 45th Golf Tournament Celebrating 70 Years of Philippines–Japan Friendship

April 17, 2026by secretariat in PJS tagged , , , , , ,

The Philippines–Japan Society, Inc. (PJS) proudly hosted its 45th Golf Tournament on March 30, 2026, at the scenic Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club. This year’s tournament formed part of the Philippines–Japan Friendship Year, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

A total of 63 players joined the friendly yet spirited competition. The event was formally opened with a Ceremonial Tee Shot by His Excellency ENDO Kazuya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Philippines, followed by a shotgun start at 8:00 a.m.

In keeping with tradition, the tournament adopted the four-man team Scramble (Best Ball) format, fostering teamwork and camaraderie among participants.

  • Champion – Team 14: Kian Emmanuel Yang, KATO Takahiro, SHIMAKAWA Shuzo, and Jose Antonio S. Borromeo Gross Score: 71 | Handicap: 2 | Net Score: 69
  • 1st Runner-Up – Team 9: Edwin Umali, Rommel Rosales, Jose Remigio Castaneda, and YOSHITAKE Masami Gross Score: 72 | Handicap: 2 | Net Score: 70 (4 birdies)
  • 2nd Runner-Up – Team 4: Jose Noel Ramirez, Toti Barcelon, Luis Lizano, and KUDO Shinji Gross Score: 71 | Handicap: 1 | Net Score: 70 (2 birdies)

The tie between Teams 9 and 4 was broken based on birdies, with Team 9 securing the 1st runner-up position.

Special recognition was also given to winners of the Fun Hole challenges:

  • Longest Drive (Mt. Lobo Hole #4): Santino Laurel – 312 yards
  • Most Accurate Drive (Mt. Lobo Hole #1): Francis Diaz – 16 ft 3 in

The tournament not only celebrated athletic skill but also strengthened the bonds of friendship between the Philippines and Japan.

📸 For detailed photos and complete scores, please visit our Resources section.

PJS Hosts 44th Golf Tournament at Alabang Country Club

February 23, 2025by secretariat in PJS tagged , , , ,

The Philippines-Japan Society (PJS) successfully held its 44th Golf Tournament on February 10, 2025, at the Alabang Country Club in Muntinlupa. A total of 60 players participated in a friendly competition at the event.

The tournament kicked off with a Ceremonial Tee Shot by His Excellency ENDO Kazuya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Philippines. Shortly after, players teed off with a shotgun start at 6:46 AM. The tournament followed a four-man team Scramble (Best Ball) format, as is the tradition from previous PJS tournaments. Team 12 emerged as the champion, with members Nobuhiko Uchino, Hirokazu Suzuki, Allen Aquino, and Kathleen Briones garnering a gross score of 71. With a handicap of 14, the team achieved a total score of 57 points.

Team 2 secured the 1st runner-up position, with members Kazuma Nakagomi, Jonald Vergara, Martin Guantes, and Armand Cajayon getting a gross score of 65 with a handicap of 7, netting them 58 points. Meanwhile, Team 14, composed of Masami Yoshitake, Naoki Ando, Andrew Bernardo, and Ferdie Sta. Barbara claimed the 2nd runner-up position with a gross score of 72, a handicap of 14, and also a net score of 58.

Players were recognized for winning the Fun Hole challenges:

  • Nearest to the Pin (Hole #6): Kazuma Nakagomi – 6½ ft to the pin
  • Nearest to the Pin (Hole #12): Masahiro Katayama – 1ft & 2 inches to the pin
  • Longest Drive (Hole #10): Masaichi Otake – 293 yards
  • Most Accurate Drive (Hole #9): Suzuki Hirokazu – 20 inches to the line

For other detailed photos and scores of the event, please refer to our Resources.

PJS hosts its 43rd Philippines-Japan Friendship Golf Tournament

January 26, 2024by secretariat in PJS tagged , , ,

Last January 17, 2024, the Philippines-Japan Society, Inc. (PJS) held its 43rd Golf Tournament at the Wack Wack Golf & Country Club, Mandaluyong City. 

With 111 players participating, it broke the record of the highest number of players to attend in the history of the organization’s golf tournament. The Ceremonial Tee Shot officially kicked off the competition followed by the shotgun starts of every flight at their respective assigned holes. The players were divided into 28 groups with four members each, switching turns in a Scramble Best Ball honesty game. 

Team 6 composed of JJ Atencio, Paolo Cagalingan, Masatoshi Saito, and Keishi Saito bagged the victory with a gross score of 65, a handicap of 19, and a net score of 46. Filemon Del Carmen, Alfredo Del Carmen, Michael Del Carmen, and Yasunori Takamatsu of Flight 11 took 1st runner up with 67 gross score, 20 handicap, and 47 net score. For 2nd runner up, Harutaka Ishikawa, Yasuhiro Fukuki, Edwin Umali, and Shinichi Kusunoki’s team garnered a gross score of 69, handicap of 22, and net score of 47.

Fun holes were also awarded to the following:

Nearest to the Pin: Hole #8 – Takao Shinohara, 4 ft

Nearest to the Pin: Hole #14 – Ichirou Iwabuchi, 1 ft

Longest Drive: Hole #13 – Joel Aguada, 300 yards

Most Accurate Drive: Hole #13 – Toshiaki Fujioka, 1 ft

Golf Committee Chairman Ramon Maria Abaquin announced his retirement from the committee at the awards ceremony and introduced the new members: Atty. Carrie Bee Hao, Mr. Archie Sanvictores, Mr. Tomohiro Koseki, and Mr. Kunihiko Nimura.

Resources:
Photos

PJS hosts its 42nd Golf Tournament with the Unveiling of its New Perpetual Trophy

March 8, 2023by secretariat in PJS tagged , ,

On February 13, 2023, the Philippines-Japan Society (PJS) held its 42nd Golf Tournament at the Alabang Country Club, Muntinlupa.  With 84 players participating, it broke the record of the highest number of players achieved in 2019 which had a total of 80 players. 

The Ceremonial Tee Shot was done by former Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines, H.E. Toshinao Urabe. Afterwhich, the tournament formally started with a shot-gun start at 6:40 a.m. As in previous years, the tournament was a four-man team Scramble (Best Ball) honesty game. After a fun and interesting game, Team 11 emerged victorious. Its members Emmanuel Barcelon, Fernandel Evangelista, Shinji Kudo, and Noel Ramirez garnered a score of 70. Minus the handicap of 20.9, they got a total score of 49.1. 

With a gross score of 68, a handicap of 16.6, and a net score of 51.4, Team 12 with its members Keiichi Matsunaga, Atsushi Okubo, Takahiro Machiba, and Edwin Umali takes the 1st runner up place. And coming in as the 2nd runners up are Martin Guantes, Hiroshi Nakagawa, Kazuma Nakagomi, and Jonald Vergara with a gross score of 70, a handicap of 18.2, and a net score of 51.8. 

Also receiving recognition are the winners of the fun holes, namely:

Nearest to the Pin: Hole #6- Tetsuro Fujii, 7ft

Nearest to the Pin: Hole #12- John Laurel, 12 ft

Longest Drive: Hole #9- Kian Yang, 361 yards

Longest Drive: Hole #18- Ramon David, 290 yards

At the awards ceremony, Golf Committee Chairman Joseph Uy, Jr. announced his retirement and succession of the chairmanship to Mr. Ramon Abaquin, co-chairman of the committee. Afterwhich, the new championship trophy was presented to the winning team. This new perpetual trophy was made in the 18th century for King George V and was donated to the society by the heirs of the late Joseph K.H. Uy. 

For detailed results and photos of the event, please refer to our Resources.

PJS Members Show Golf Skills at 39th Friendship Tournament

May 5, 2017by Philip Sanvictores in PJS tagged , ,

Beating the sunrise, members of the Philippines-Japan Society arrived at the Sta. Elena Golf and Country Club for the 39th PJS Friendship Golf Tournament held last March 15, 2017. Registration started at 5:30 a.m. with a total of 12 teams participating in the tournament’s Scramble format.

The Ceremonial Tee Off kicked off the tournament, after which all the flights proceeded to their duly designated Holes for the shot-gun tee-off.

Emerging as Champions for 2017 was the team of Samson Enriquez, Shuhei Matsushita, Dan Ferreras, and Leslie Umsico with a gross score of 63, less the team handicap 10 for a net score of 53.

The runner-up team consisted of Alex Tan, Takehiro Shimada, Toshiyuki Ishikawa, and Sixto Benedicto which grossed 67 less their team handicap of 13 for a net score of 54, just a point over the Champion Team.

The winning team members will have their names etched on the permanent trophy that is prominently displayed at the PJS head office in Makati. Each winning player however received a commemorative glass trophy.

After the morning games, a buffet lunch was served to the members and non-other than PJS president, Mr. Francis C. Laurel greeted and congratulated the participants and guests of the tournament. Other activities followed in the afternoon such the awarding of winners, a raffle event, and recognition of this year’s generous sponsors.

The Philippines-Japan Friendship Golf Tournament is an annual tradition of the association aimed at fostering friendship and cooperation between Filipinos and Japanese. Players were allowed to form their own teams with at least one Filipino or one Japanese member and a maximum of four players.

The 2017 Golf Tournament Committee was headed by Mr. Joseph “Jun” Uy, Jr., Chairman and Mr. Raymond M. Abaquin, co-Chairman. It is noteworthy that Jun and Raymond are the sons of the former PJS Golf Tournament Chairmen, the late Mr. Joseph K.H. Uy and Amb. Eusebio (Sev) Abaquin.

Related Resources:

Tournament Program
Tournament Rules
Tournament Sponsors
Photo Album

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