Golfing great Frankie Miñoza further cemented his legacy as one of the country’s most accomplished and respected golfers after his induction into the Philippine Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame on February 16 at the Diamond Hotel Manila. The pride of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, the 66-year-old Miñoza is the latest sporting icon honored by the country’s oldest media organization.
Miñoza rose to prominence 36 years ago after winning three tournaments to capture the Asian Golf Circuit Order of Merit, a feat he repeated eight years later while also breaking into the Top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. He competed in major championships, including the Masters, PGA Championship, and The Open, and built a successful career on the Japan Golf Tour with seven titles and about $4.8 million in earnings. Miñoza also won one Asian Tour title and 10 Asia Golf Circuit events and remains active in the Philippine Golf Tour.
Miñoza joins the elite list of Filipino athletes enshrined in the PSA Hall of Fame which included boxing’s only eight-time division champion Manny Pacquiao, pool legend Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes, World Cup of bowling champions Paeng Nepomuceno and Bong Coo, former Asian track queen Lydia De Vega, Asia’s first Grandmaster Eugene Torre, and just recently, the country’s first ever Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo.
