Beijing, CHINA -- Ma Andrea Victoria Unson of the Philippines put up a steady performance under a windy condition to win the women's title of the 2011 Fangshan Changyang China Amateur Golf Championship yesterday at the Beijing California County Golf Club.

China's Wang Ziyi showed she was the title contender after hitting four birdies in the front nine but succumbed to the 16 Filipino hitting a double on Hole 14, and finished second with one stroke back for an even-par, three round total of 216 shots.

It was a sweet revenge for Andrea after she lost to Wang in the HSBC junior tournament in January.

MANILA (July 17) -- Opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero asked the Senate on July 15 to look into bitter rivalry among the country’s top sports officials which could doom the chances of the country’s athletes in the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Laos this December.

“Our athletes have become unwilling spectators to this sad spectacle. It is now time to act on the issues that have prejudiced the country’s preparations for the Laos Games,” the 39-year old lawmaker said.

WASHINGTON, DC (June 21) -- Two Filipino professional golfers were honored last week by the Philippine Ambassador Willy C. Gaa.  Jennifer Rosales and Dorothy Delasin beamed with pride following awarding ceremonies for the "Golden Cultural Heritage Award at the sidelines of the McDonald's LPGA Championship.

DARWIN (May 25) -- Twenty-two Filipino athletes that participated in the Arafura Games 2009, now recognised as a leading international sporting competition for the developing athletes of the Asia Pacific region, won three gold, four silver and 15 bronze medals in various sports categories.

Derrick Rose became the third Bulls player to win the Rookie of the Year award, outright Michael Jordan in 1984-85 and Elton Brand shared the award in '99-00. He received 111 first-place votes and 574 points from a national panel of sports writers and broadcasters throughout United States and Canada; runner-up O.J. Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies received five first-place votes and 127 points.

CHICAGO (Apr. 18) -- NBA playoff-bound Filipino American Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra can no longer hide his feelings. He said Filipinos can play in the NBA.

His stock in assessing the ability of Filipino players rose last week when he guided the lowly regarded Miami Heat to the NBA playoffs.

LOS ANGELES (Apr. 15) -- New Filipino international singing sensation Charice Pempengco sang the U.S. National Anthem at the opening day of the Major League Baseball season April 13 at the Dodgers Stadium at Chavez Ravine amid 55,000 fans in attendance.

While Charice sang, a 150-member of the Armed Services unfurled a U.S. flag covering the entire 100,000 square feet of bermuda-grass baseball field. To add spiff to the Dodgers opening day match with the Giants, a plane flew over the stadium releasing blue-and-white confetti that reached the stands.

NEW YORK (April 8) -- Confronting chess contenders in a simultaneous chess exhibition, NY State Chess Master Vitaliano "Nonoy" Rafael coasted easily within three hours to force each challenger into a loss. One time varsity chess team member of the Mapua Institute of Technology managed to forge a draw in a Chess Challenge event held at the Philippine Center recently.

ORLANDO (March 30) -- If there was any doubt Tiger Woods would be the Masters favorite, he dispelled it Sunday with another dramatic victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

In just his third start back from left knee surgery, Woods ignored camera flashes from the party on the other side of the pond at the par-4 18th, read his birdie putt perfectly in the semi-darkness and ran in a 15-footer for his sixth victory at Bay Hill.

NEW YORK -- In a battle of the mind and endurance, FIDE Chess Master Rico Salimbagat, outmaneuvered tournament newcomer Ryan Magat during a 5-minute “sudden-death” match to break a three-way tie and win the 2009 Winter Chess Fest top prize.

Salimbagat endured six rounds of intense play with three players tied for first place receiving the same number of points.

The event, which attracted more than 30 chess players from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, was held on March 14 at the NYU School of Medicine in Manhattan. The top-seeded former Philippine Army top player was awarded with a Championship Trophy and a $400 cash prize.  The feat is also his first competition for the year.

NEW YORK (March 12) – A chess competition, under a joint venture of NYU School of Medicine (Center of the Studies of Asian American Health) and Kalusugan Coalition-Project AsPire, will be held at the NYU School of Medicine Cafeteria on 550 First Avenue in Manhattan, New York, on March 14. Games begin at 9 a.m.

According to Nonoy Rafael, Chief Tournament Director, a number of good chess masters have pre-registered in the tournament. Leading contenders to capture the Championship Trophy and a $400 cash prize are Senior Masters Oscar Tan, Rico Salimbagat, David Apelo, Patrick Yee and veteran Roummel Reyes.

"All these top players have won over many International Grandmasters throughout their career. I anticipate very tight race throughout the 6-round Swiss-system format," he said.

Europe captain Nick Faldo believes US Open champion Tiger Woods' absence from September's Ryder Cup could bring the United States team closer together.

Woods, who was the leading US scorer in their 2006 defeat, will not play again this season because of a knee injury.

"On the one side it could be a loss, but on the other they know they don't have the option to bank on Tiger this year," said Faldo...

"I'm sure they'll all pull together because of that."

US Open champion Tiger Woods will miss the rest of the season to have surgery on his injured left knee.

That means Woods, 32, is ruled out of the...

Open at Royal Birkdale, the Ryder Cup and the USPGA.

"It was important to me that I disclose my condition publicly at an appropriate time," Woods said on his website.

Tiger Woods's coach Hank Haney insists the world number one will return stronger than ever after an operation on his damaged knee ligaments...

After fighting intense pain to win his third US Open title Woods, 32, will miss the rest of this season to recover from reconstructive knee surgery.

And some have questioned whether Woods may have sustained irreparable damage.

Woods told ABC's Good Morning America on Friday: "I was in bad shape going in and came out in just the same shape.

Rising German star Martin Kaymer seized the half-way lead at the BMW International Open in Munich with a magnificent nine-under-par round of 63...

Ryder Cup hopeful Kaymer had nine birdies on his card as he finished with a 13-under total of 131.

"I'm hitting the ball really long this week. I don't know why and it was a little scary to be honest," he said.

His round left him five shots clear of England's Benn Barham (68) and France's Francois Delamontagne (66).

Australia's Peter O'Malley fired a six-under-par round of 66 to take a share of the BMW International Open lead alongside three players in Munich...

Chasing his first European Tour victory since the 2001 English Open, O'Malley shot a bogey-free round of six birdies.

South Africa's Anton Haig, Singapore's Mardan Mamat and Rafa Echenique of Argentina share the first-round lead.

English pair Mark Foster and David Lynn lead the European charge on five under, with Scot Colin Montgomerie two under.