RIYADH: Two of the shortest guys on the FGA roster, Ebrahim Zailon and Noel Alipoyo, stood tall to win the first two places at a farewell tournament for a group member at the Riyadh Golf Club last Friday.

Zailon and Alipoyo, with a combined height of little over 10 feet, emerged champion and first runner-up with Filipino Golf Association President Cesar Rosario rounding out the first three overall winners in the full handicap stroke play competition.

The Maasalama fun event was organized in honor of Alex Del Pilar, who served as FGA finance director-treasurer for the past six months. Del Pilar is leaving for good and moving to Qatar after 23 years in the Kingdom, where he worked with Arab National Bank the past three years as senior IT auditor. Del Pilar has been hired as IT audit manager for a newly opened bank in Qatar.

Rosario said Patrick Santos, assistant vice-president, corporate banking group at National Commercial Bank, was appointed as the new finance director-treasurer.

The one-day tournament attracted 39 players including two of FGA’s many friends, New Zealanders John Palalagi and Julian Bennett, who is married to a Filipino woman.

A Class A player, Zailon showed why he is the No. 1 on the FGA Order of Merit, shooting a remarkable 3-over 76 on the rolling par-73 layout. With an 11 handicap, Zailon, of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, returned a winning net score of 8-under 65.

Zailon carded nines of 36-40 in a round highlighted by three birdies against four bogeys and a double bogey.

“My golf game is a work in progress. It’s a never ending learning process and the effect is an improved swing,” said Zailon who learned golf in Jeddah prior to his posting in Riyadh.

Alipoyo, a senior cameraman with OR Madarat, finding confidence with the long stick to go with his usual deadly short game, fired a 66 from his gross score of 84, his consecutive birdies from No. 16 propping him to a first runner-up finish despite not playing on a regular basis of late.

The affable Rosario, one in a line of Filipino golfers to have improved a lot, won via the countback from Angel Rodriguez after both players shot a matching 67s.

Rosario, with an 18 handicap like Alipoyo, mixed birdies on 11 and 16 with six bogeys in a back nine 41. He posted a 44 going out.

After the 18-hole battle the awards ceremony was held after a sumptuous lunch catered by Hacienda Ristorante of Tony Lizardo and Oca Domingo at the old RGC clubhouse.

Meantime, Rosario announced that the next major event of the FGA is the FGA Cup scheduled for November at RGC. To coincide with this tournament is the election of the new set of officers for 2010, said Rosario.