27th Founders Cup

1. WELCOME MESSAGE

Greetings! Welcome to the 27th Orchard Founders Cup! As we gather for this special and much anticipated annual tournament, we are reminded that this event has been more than about competing against each other. This tournament is all about the friendships we’ve built, the traditions we’ve preserved, and the passion for the game that brings us together year after year. Now in its 27th staging, the Founders Cup continues to reflect the values that make The Orchard unique – excellence, sportsmanship, and camaraderie.

Last year was a proud moment for all of us. Golf Digest Philippines ranked The Orchard’s golf courses number 2 and 3 in the country. A welcome recognition and all time high ranking that confirms what we as members already know: we play on two of the best golf courses in the Philippines. This achievement reflects the pride we share in our Club and the high standards we strive to maintain.

With this momentum, the 27th Founders Cup is more than just another tournament. It is our opportunity to welcome family, friends, and guests, to compete in good spirit, and to create memories that go beyond the results in our scorecards. It is also an opportunity for us to showcase to our dear partners our highly ranked home, the Club we are all proud to be a member of.

This year, we carry on the tradition of excitement with over ₱10 million worth of prizes, highlighted by a brand-new car exclusively for tournament participants, and a Grand Raffle featuring two brand-new cars, ₱1.5 million cash prizes, and other premium items.

Equally meaningful, we uphold a tradition that goes beyond prizes – the Conrado Benitez II Educational Assistance Program, funded through the proceeds of Grand Raffle ticket sales. Through this initiative, we support the education of chosen caddies’ children, ensuring that the legacy of the Founders Cup extends far beyond the fairways and makes a lasting difference in the lives of our Club community.

As we tee off, let us celebrate the fellowship, sportsmanship and the legacy we are building together. I wish everyone all the best and that you all have an enjoyable time. Thank you for being part of the 27th Orchard Founders Cup, and may it be another tournament to remember.

Sincerely,
Tomas Julio A. Benitez
President & CEO

2. ABOUT THE GOLF COURSES

The Orchard Golf & Country Club is home to a pair of 18-hole championship golf courses designed by two golfing legends, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.

The Palmer Course is a traditional parkland layout that curves its way through groves of stately mango trees and is protected by deep lakes and huge bunkers. It was the venue for the 1995 Johnnie Walker Golf Classic, Asia’s most prestigious golf tournament, where the likes of Fred Couples, Ernie Els, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Price, Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros, and
many others wowed the gallery with their shot making skills.

The Player Course, on the other hand, is a links-type course layout with its rolling fairways, deep bunkers and strong winds reminiscent of Scottish courses. It was the venue for the 1997 Qualifying School for the Asian PGA.

The Palmer Course has TifEagle on its greens while the Player Course has Sea Isle 2000 Paspalum.

3. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Vicente R. Santos
Chairman

Tomas Julio A. Benitez
President & CEO

Exequiel D. Robles
Corporate Secretary

Mariza S.Tan
Asst. Corporate Secretary

Henry Cua Loping
Treasurer

Jose S. Gonzales
Philip L. Go
Independent Directors

SPORTS AND GAMES COMMITTEE

Tomas Julio A. Benitez
Chairman

Philip L. Go
Vice Chairman

Jose S. Gonzales
Emmanuel Q. Canivel
Carlos Renato P. Javier
Ernilo P. Famy
Members

FC OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

Tomas Julio A. Benitez
Chairman

Philip L. Go
Vice Chairman

Jose S. Gonzales
Alfonso L. Santiago
Thomas Rodolfo R. Elazegui
Members

4. ELIGIBILITY

Open to all members, spouses, dependents, and their invited guests in good standing. All participants must be amateurs.

5. FORMAT

36-hole Stableford scoring system with handicaps
Stableford points will count as follows:

SCORE	POINT
Net Double Bogey	0
Net Bogey	1
Net Par	2
Net Birdie	3
Net Eagle	4
Net Double Eagle	5
Hole-in-One	6

Palmer Course – 18-hole Net Aggregate Stroke Play competition; combined points of partners count as the team’s score.
Player Course – 18-hole Net Four-Ball Stroke Play competition; Better net score for the hole counts as the team’s score.

6. HANDICAP

Participants must have an established NGAP WHS handicap index with at least twenty (20) recorded games as of November 1, 2025. For those with incomplete rounds, a corresponding reduction will be applied.
Participants without an established NGAP-WHS handicap index shall also be subject to handicap reduction at the discretion of the Committee.
Participants without an Orchard NGAP-WHS handicap record must submit their handicap certificate from their home club to the Golf Office on or before November 15. This certificate must include the NGAP WHS number and the handicap index as of November 1, 2025, along with the latest records of their 20 games.
Guest players without a handicap certificate will be given a zero (0) handicap.
The lowest handicap index of the participant from Aug. 16 to Nov. 1, 2025 shall be used for handicap computation.
The participants’ tournament handicap shall be computed based on the slope and course rating of Palmer Course.
The maximum handicap shall be as follows:

MEMBER		GUEST
Men	Ladies	Men	Ladies
36	36	24	27

7. SIZE OF FIELD AND SCHEDULE

Maximum of 896 players or 448 teams.
Schedules and shotgun tee times are as follows:

SCHEDULE A	SCHEDULE B	SCHEDULE C	SCHEDULE D
Thursday, Nov. 20 @ 6:15 AM	Thursday, Nov. 20 @ 12:15 PM	Friday, Nov. 21 @ 6:15 AM	Friday, Nov. 21 @ 12:15 PM
& Saturday, Nov. 22 @ 12:15 PM	& Saturday, Nov. 22 @ 6:15 AM	& Sunday, Nov. 23 @ 12:15 PM	& Sunday, Nov. 23 @ 6:15 AM

The Committee’s decision on pairings and hole assignments shall be considered final.

8. STARTING TEES

MEN
(below 55 years old by Nov. 20, 2025)

MEN

(55 years old and above by Nov. 20, 2025)

MEN

(70 years old and above by Nov. 20, 2025)

LADIES

(regardless of age)

Blue Tees

Silver Tees

White Tees

Red Tees

Men, aged 55 years and above may opt to play from the Blue Tees, provided that this is declared on or before November 15, 2025.
Men, aged 70 years and above may opt to play from the Silver or Blue Tee, provided this is declared on or before November 15, 2025.
Men with tournament handicap index of 25.1 and above must tee off from the Silver Tees.

9. LATE TO TEE

Participants who are late to tee:

Must mark “X” on the scorecard for the holes not played.
May join play starting on the next tee.

10. CLASSIFICATION

Group A – Top 25% of the field with lowest team handicap
Group B – Next 25% of the field
Group C – Next 25% of the field
Group D – Bottom 25% of the field
Sponsors Division – Open to sponsors

Note: Team handicap is the average of the partners’ handicaps

11. CONFIRMATION OF ENTRIES

Registration entries shall only be considered confirmed after the settlement of tournament fee, and submission of accomplished entry form.
Priority should be given to primary members and spouses.
A priority waiting list shall be made available for those primary members or spouses who missed to register. Allotment of re-opened slots shall be on a first-come, first- served basis.
A secondary waiting list shall be made available for enrolled junior dependents by Sept. 15 and slots shall be allotted by Oct. 1, 2025, if available.
Another waiting list shall be made available for other dependents by October 1 and slots shall only be given when there are no more waitlisted on the priority and secondary lists by Oct. 15, 2025.

12. PRACTICE ROUNDS

Invited guests have two (2) complimentary practice rounds subject to the following guidelines:
1. Weekday – one round per course and must be accompanied by a member.
2. Weekend or Holiday – one round on either course, provided that the 2 weekday practice rounds are not yet used. If one weekday round is already used, the other weekend practice round will be subject to 50% green fee. In both cases, invited guests must be accompanied by a member.
May only be availed after entry is confirmed
Non-transferable.

13. CHANGE OF PARTNER

Allowed not later than November 9, 2025.
New guest-partner must meet the handicap requirements. Otherwise, he shall play with zero (0) handicap.

14. CANCELLATION POLICY

100% entry fee refund shall apply for cancellations made on/or before 5 PM of Sunday, November 9, 2025.
50% penalty shall apply for cancellations made after 5:00 PM of November 9, 2025. The Club shall refund the remaining 50% of the entry fee.
Members who will cancel shall be charged the equivalent green fees in case the invited guest has availed of the practice rounds.
Teams shall no longer be entitled for refund once tournament giveaways are claimed regardless of the timing of cancellation.

15. PACE OF PLAY

“Gimme” Putt – Any ball lying within or above the line of the 22-inch gimme circle shall be considered holed on the player’s next stroke. The player must pick up his ball and add one stroke to his last stroke’s score.

Reminder:
Balls outside the gimme circle must be putted out to avoid the risk of disqualification. This rule must be strictly followed.

A participant must pick up his ball if his next stroke is for a net double bogey or zero points.
Each round must be completed within 4 hours and 30 minutes, or at an average of 15 minutes per hole.
Marshals and rulesmen are empowered to penalize a participant for slow play under the guidelines set by the Committee as follows:
1. 1st offense – warning participant placed on the clock.
2. 2nd offense – 2-point team penalty.
3. 3rd offense – disqualification for the day.

16. SCORECARDS

Each team shall serve as the marker of the opposing team in the flight.
The markers shall observe the following for each hole:
1. Record only the gross scores; or
2. Write an “X” mark in case of pick-up or hole not played by the opposing team.
Only official scorecards shall be accepted and must be:
1. Signed by at least one member of the opposing team.
2. Submitted within 15 minutes after completing the round.
Participants must be responsible in checking their hole by
hole scores.
Scorecards not submitted on time shall be voided, and
the team shall be disqualified for the day.

17. AWARDS

Each member of the team gets a trophy:

Overall Champions – team with the highest 36-hole net Stableford points.
Low Gross Champions – team with the highest 36-hole
gross Stableford points.
Group Champions – team with the highest net Stableford
points in each group.
Group Runners-up – team with the next highest net
Stableford points in each group.

Note: A team may only win one (1) award. Should a team win both the Overall and Low Gross Champions, the team will be awarded the LOW GROSS CHAMPIONS title. Teams under the Sponsors Division are not eligible to win the Overall and Low Gross Award.

18. HOLE-IN-ONE

Prizes will be up for grabs on all par 3 holes.
On Par 3 holes, participant has the option to tee off from their regular teeing area, or from the designated teeing area with a special hole-in-one prize.
As a general rule, prizes for the hole-in-one shall be equally divided among the winners.
All hole-in-one prizes will be subject to winning tax.
On top of the hole-in-one prizes an additional P100,000 in cash and gift certificates will be given away.

19. TIES

Ties shall be settled as follows:
1. Most points at the Player Course;
2. Most points at the Player Course’s last 9-holes totals (10-18); then,
3. Most points at the Player Course’s last 6-holes, (13-18); then,
4. Most points at the Player Course’s last 3-holes, (16-18); and finally,
5. Countback on most points from the 18th hole.
Points based on net scores shall be used to break ties for the Overall Champion and group categories. Points based on gross scores shall be used to break ties for Low Gross award.

20. MULLIGAN

Mandatory for all participants
P600.00 for two mulligans per 18-hole round
Not valid for hole-in-one prize
May be used anywhere except on the putting green

21. CADDIE FEE

Minimum P800.00 per round and must be settled immediately after each round.

22. COCKTAILS & AWARDS NIGHT

Cocktail Nights shall be held on the 1st & 2nd day of the tournament.
Awards dinner shall be held at the Tennis Courts.
Doors shall open at exactly 6:00 PM.
Awards night attendance will be exclusive to all participants. There will be no accompanying spouse per player to ensure an intimate and exclusive awards night experience and priority to all participants.

23. DRESS CODE

Proper dress code shall be strictly observed. Participants wearing shorts, collarless shirts, any open toed footwear (for men) and slippers of any kind shall be denied entry to the cocktails and awards dinner venues.
It is the member’s responsibility to ensure that his invited guest adheres to the dress code to avoid any inconveniences on the day of the event.

24. RULES OF PLAY

Play shall be governed by the latest Rules of Golf as published by R&A Rules Limited and the Club’s Local Rules. Concerns about rulings shall be settled under Rule 20.2.