The success of Filipino athletes has been spilling over to the golf course as we’ve seen golfers achieve success both in the local and international scene.

Jack Nicklaus is considered by many as the greatest golfers of all-time with Tiger Woods just a spot behind. In the Philippines, there are numerous Filipino golfers who have attained success in the golf course and have swung their way towards greatness.

Topping the list of Filipino golfers who have achieved success in the grass is Frankie Minoza.

Since becoming a professional golfer in 1983, Minoza already has 34 wins under his belt with most of his wins coming from tournaments in Malaysia, Japan, and the Philippines. He won thrice on the Asia Golf Circuit in 1990 when he also topped the tour’s Order of Merit. He won seven times in the Japan Golf Tour and in 2007, he won the Philippine Open to nab the first Asian Tour championship of his career. He also has 26 wins on different tours.

If you’ve been watching Philippine golf since the 70s, the name of the late Ben Arda will easily come to your mind.

Known by his monikers as Bantam Ben and the Toy Tiger due to his small stature, Ben Arda was one of the leading golfers in Asia in the 60s and the 70s as he held the distinction of being the first Filipino golfer to have qualified for the Masters Tournament and the Open Championship. In his professional career, Arda totaled 15 wins. He won nine tournaments at the Asia Golf Circuit including three straight wins in the Philippine Open. He also had four wins at the Japan Golf Tour but Arda’s biggest moment came in 1977 where he finished second in the World Cup. Arda appeared in the World Cup 16 times.

While the Philippine women’s golf has a rising star in Bianca Pagdanganan, Jennifer Rosales has started rolling the ball for the women’s golf in the country- having joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour in 2000 and has already won twice in the LPGA Tour. In 2005, Rosales partnered with Dorothy Delasin as the duo represented the country during the inaugural Women’s World Cup of Golf where they finished second place The duo went on to win the World Cup in 2008 where they beat the Koreans by two strokes.

Before taking his talents to the professional ranks, Angelo Que started swinging at the amateur ranks. His amateur career included two wins in the Philippine Amateur Championships. Since turning professional in 2003, Que already has five professional wins to his name. He has three wins in the Asian Tour including the Philippine Open in 2008.

Photo is from The Straits Times