Weiss: Linares bright spot for PH Azkals in friendlies

By Peter Atencio

ENRIQUE Linares, a promising Fil-Spanish standout, has made an impression when the Philippine Azkals played friendlies with Nepal and Taiwan last Thursday and Monday.

The 23-year-old Linares caught the eye of coach Hans Michael Weiss after he was able to stand his ground during the games.

“There were few exceptions (in our last two games), like Linares, who was the discovery of the matches. He was a positive that we can bring from the match,” said Weiss.

Linares, a defender, was playing for Indonesian club PSM Makassar this year when he was called up for the Azkals.

All

ANTIPOLO—Daniella Uy quickly overhauled Sarah Ababa’s four-stroke lead with an eagle-aided five-under card after 13 holes but nearly blew a four-shot cushion with a wavering windup, setting the stage for a frantic finish in the ICTSI Forest Hills Classic here yesterday.

Uy did grab the lead at 138 after a three-under 68 at the Forest Hills’ Nicklaus course but Florence Bisera pounced on the former’s bogeys on Nos. 15 and 18 with a birdie-birdie feat from No. 16 in a flight ahead in a big four-shot swing in the last four holes that put the latter threateningly close for a breakthrough at 139 after a day-best 67, which she also laced with an eagle on the par-5 No. 6. Ababa holed out with a birdie on No. 18 to salvage a bogey-riddled 74 after a solid 66 Tuesday but the Davaoena shotmaker still stayed in the thick of things with a 140 going to the last 18 holes of the P1 million event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

“Actually, I just focused on the process instead on the results,” said Uy, adding that she also didn’t think about Sarah’s game so as not to disrupt her concentration.

That led to her big onslaught midway through in hot conditions as she knocked down four birdies, including a 25-footer on No. 11 that came after splitting the par-5 10th fairway with a 3-wood that left her 210 yards to the green then hitting another superb shot to within 6 feet for eagle to go 4-up over Ababa.

But a shaky windup enabled Bisera and Ababa to keep it close, ensuring a wild chase for the top P120,000 prize in the seventh leg of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

“In every game, I always go for a win,” said Uy, in pursuit of a followup to her maiden victory at Riviera in 2021. “Tomorrow (today), I’ll try to be calm and not think about their (rivals’) scores.”

Born in Spain, Linares has an older brother Alvaro, who gets summoned once in a while for national team duties since 2014.

Weiss said Linares showed exceptional fitness during the friendlies. He will be among the new players, who will be tapped when the Azkals play more international matches.

The Azkals are preparing to see action in the Asian qualifiers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup this November.

At the same time, qualifications for the 2027 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup will also be staged in that month.

“We have a good young defender, who can help us with more games coming in,” said Weiss.

Last year, Linares got his first call-up to represent the Philippines’ under-23 team in the 31st Southeast Asian Games, debuting during their 4–0 triumph over Timor-Leste.