Manila: Sweden’s Daniel Chopra and local stars Angelo Que and Miguel Tabuena want to show support for the Filipinos by being part of the action at the inaugural US$750,000 Resorts World Manila Masters which tees off at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

Chopra, who earned his breakthrough in Asia when he won the Johor Open in Malaysia in 1993 and is a two-time PGA Tour winner, is among the strong line-up of players who have rallied together, determined to help victims who have been affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

“I’ve always wanted to play at Manila Southwoods again and furthermore, I thought the Philippines needs help right now. It was an easy decision for me to make between playing here or back on the PGA Tour in Mexico. We’ve got the Red Cross here this week so hopefully some of the players here can provide some sort of support financially to help the victims,” said Chopra, who is born to a Swedish mother and Indian father.

While he is now focused on his career in the United States, Chopra is looking forward to his return to the region's premier Tour which has brought him much success.

“It has been years since I last played at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club. Whenever I get asked by the media which are the top five golf courses on my list, Manila Southwoods will always be part of that list. I played well here before and I’m really excited to be back here again,” said the 39-year-old, who has enjoyed a total of 14 victories including the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2001.

Three-time Asian Tour winner Que believes his country’s steely resolve in getting back to its feet will be demonstrated through the action shown by his fellow players on the Asian Tour.

“It is always nice to play at home. The Manila Southwoods is my home course and I’ve been playing here for years. I’m really excited about this event,” said Que.

“Unfortunately, the typhoon has to happen but we’re all good to help. I think it’s a good thing that all players get together and help out,” added Que.

While only 19 years old, local hopeful Tabuena is showing maturity beyond his years by promising to put up a strong showing dedicated to typhoon victims instead of his playing for his own personal glory.

“It’s really been heartbreaking to watch the news on the typhoon the last few days. You never realize how lucky and blessed you are to live under a proper roof and having food to eat until something like this happened,” said Tabuena.

“I’ve been stressing about playing good enough to keep my card for the past few weeks but this week, I want to play for God, myself and people who have lost everything in the disaster. It gives me more motivation to play well as it’s something bigger to play for,” added Tabuena, who plans to donate part of his winnings to the typhoon victims.

Philippines Red Cross has meanwhile mobilized teams on the ground to help with rescue and relief efforts.
 

“This is the worst typhoon that we’ve experienced in the country so far. It has affected many provinces and cities. We’re looking into supporting the victims with food, water, shelter and medical help. People can help the victims by making donations. We have a list of options on how they can make donations on our online portal, http://www.redcross.org.ph/donate,” said Gwendolyn Pang, Secretary General of the Philippine Red Cross.

The Asian Tour along with its partners, Resorts World Manila and Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club have also pledged to support the Philippine Red Cross directly in their efforts to provide aid and assistance to alleviate the human suffering after Typhoon Haiyan passed through the central and southern Philippines last week.

“The people in this country are resilient and they have shown countless times that they are able to bounce back stronger. Through this tournament, we want to show that the Filipinos are survivors and we’ll get back on our feet quickly,” said Stephen Reilly, Chief Operating Officer, Resorts World Manila.

“The Asian Tour has a close affinity with the Philippines through our long history of supporting the game of golf in the nation. We feel for the people affected by this unfortunate tragedy and hope that through the staging of this tournament and through our support of aid and relief programmes, we will be able to help in whatever way possible,” said Mike Kerr, Chief Executive Officer, Asian Tour.