Rising golf star Rupert Zaragoza is carried by his Canlubang teammates after their victory in the Philippine Airlines Interclub golf team championships Saturday at the Marapara golf course in Bacolod City. (Photo by BOB DUNGO JR.)

BACOLOD CITY – Canlubang opened the new decade with another victory Saturday, turning what had been billed as a two-horse race into a one-team show in the Philippine Airlines Interclub golf team championships.

Mhark Fernando, clearly a cut above the rest, fired a tournament-best 41 points - five-under par 65 in medal play - at the Marapara golf course to power the Sugar Barons to a crushing 22-point victory over The Country Club.

Jobim Carlos, one of three former TCC players in Canlubang’s lineup, shot 35 points, Alvin Engino added 34 and Paul Echavez rounded out scoring with 31. Veteran Abe Rosal did not count with 29.

The Sugar Barons totaled 544 points for their fifth straight crown and 17th overall.

TCC, which started the day 11 points down, was reduced in tatters with only two players scoring in the mid-30s.

JR Tanpinco led TCC with 35 points while Tonton Asistio played his last round as an amateur with 34 points.

Ex-Canlubang players Peter Villaber and Rufino Bayron Jr., completed scoring for TCC with 31 and 30 points, respectively. Rookie Erwin Madrilleno failed to count with 29.

Fernando, the reigning national champion, scattered six birdies against a single bogey, but left his plans to turn pro hanging.

“I still want to play in the Asian Games,” said the 28-year-old father of three.

Canlubang captain Luigi Yulo cited the contribution of two former TCC players for the win.

“We took them in after being left out at TCC. And they delivered,” said Yulo, referring to Carlos and Art Arbole.

A poor performance at Binitin Friday hastened TCC’s downfall.

“We thought we had the better team at Binitin. In fact, we were hoping to increase our lead, but the opposite happened,” said TCC coach Bong Lopez. “We lost the tournament in the third round.”

Canlubang has now won nine of the last 11 staging of the Interclub and appears to have the depth and talent to dominate in the next three or four years.

The one-sided triumph fueled talks of the need to level the playing field.

As news of Canlubang’s big win swept across the nation’s golf clubhouses, organizers began studying options to narrow the gap between Canlubang and the rest of the field.

One of the proposals is to put a cap on the team’s composition – a measure that drew an immediate rebuke from Canlubang and TCC.

“It’s crazy!” snapped Yulo. “You put cap on salaries. You don’t put a cap on skills.”

Lopez, on the other hand, said the proposal is unacceptable.

“Hindi na lang kami sasali,” warned Lopez.

Canlubang and TCC run two parallel golf programs both bankrolled by the International Container and Terminal Services (ICTSI) owned by golf patron Enrique Razon.