THE CNMI Federation of Golf Associations said the national team tryouts for the Pacific Mini Games will begin in August.
A junior golfer winds up for the swing during the reopening of the Coral Ocean Golf Resort on Jan. 14, 2021.
The first tryout has been tentatively set for Saturday, Aug. 7. The second tryout will be on Saturday, Aug. 21; the third on Sunday, Sept. 5; the fourth on Saturday, Sept. 18; and the fifth on Saturday, Sept. 25.
All five events will follow the Low Gross format. The amount of the playing fee will be announced soon.
Before the tryouts, the federation will host a fundraiser on Saturday, July 24 at Coral Ocean Golf Resort.
“So we’re looking at completing all the tryouts by September which means that by that time we will have our team for the Pacific Mini Games,” said JJ Atalig of the CNMI Federation of Golf Associations.
Because golf in next year’s mini games will be a walking event, the federation is considering holding at least three walking tryouts so local players can get a feel of what level of stamina and determination is needed when they compete with 100 other golfers from 24 countries and/or jurisdictions in the 2022 Pacific Mini Games.
A caddie system will be implemented for the golf tournaments of the mini games.
“We don’t have specific information about the caddie system, but we know that each player must have a caddie,” federation president Edward Manibusan said.
He added that their group wants to make sure that “there are folks ready to fill the jobs if needed.”
Marco Peter, another federation member, said when they played in the Pacific Games in Samoa in 2019, they were able to experience the caddie system.
For next year’s mini games, Peter said they need individuals over the age of 18 ready to be caddies, adding that the federation will train those interested in the job.
The federation has selected Coral Ocean Golf Resort as the venue of the Pacific Mini Games’ golf tournaments. Coral Ocean’s golf course is 7,000 yards long and was designed by Hall of Famer Larry Nelson.
