The tournament which attracted over a hundred players was held as part of celebrations for the Pakistan Day on March 23.

Friday at Dirab golf course Balharith and Joly led the winners in the event that grew almost overnight with lots of prizes and now open to golfers of different nationalities after it started only for Pakistanis last year.

Playing steady golf, Balharith clinched Best Gross honors with a 5-over 77, while the 15-handicap Joly played like he was a single-digit handicap player to shoot 78 in favorable conditions.

That gave Joly a brilliant 9-under 63 and the Best Net crown, as he beat 25-handicap Abdul Hameed who settled for the Third Division (19-28 handicap) title on 64.

Joly carded nines of 36-42 in  a round where he birdied four and eight and his only major mistake was when he triple bogeyed No. 17.

Balharith, who now coaches the regular Saudi national men’s and junior teams, started on the wrong foot. His drive found the trees on the right, put his ball back to the fairway with a 4-iron punch  only for his third shot to land in the bushes on the left side of the green. He took two more strokes to be on the green then two-putted for a double bogey seven on the first hole.

After a bogey on three Balharith steadied the ship, parred the next five holes and just missed eagle on the par-5 nine when his putt from 10 feet grazed the cup after a good drive and fairway shot. He had 38 coming out and 39 on the backnine after a bogey and double bogey on 10 and 11.

“I’m happy with my game. Only few mistakes,” Balharith said of his vintage performance.

Kamran Khan, with a 7 handicap, won First Division (0-9) after shooting a 70 from a gross 77. New Zealander Julian Bennett, who swept the awards for closest to pin and longest drive,  was second on 71, Japanese Hirobumi Nakajima third on 74 and Lebanese Rabie Fares fourth on 75.

Pakistani Maqbool Butt returned a 4-under 68 from a gross score of 84 to take the Second Division (10-18) title with Bertil Sandstrom one stroke back in second place. Filipino Ibrahim Zailon came in third and Ian Blacklaw fourth via the  countback after both players tied on 70.

Moiz Ahmed finished second to Hameed on 69, with Khurshid Ahmed and Stig Lindstrom third and fourth on 71 and 72.

Liz Kennedy, Dirab Ladies Group captain Flore Bouzanne and Fauzia Shamim were the Ladies Division winners on 74, 77and 80 in that order.

The raffle draw prize winners were Markku Kariainen (Oza cart bag), Syed Shafiq (Nike driver), Omar Khan (carpet), Mitchel Maddox, Asharaf Jallu, Abdul Hameed (gift voucher), Nadeem Mirza, Mohamad Sofi and Arif Hussain (gift pack).

Ambassador Omar Khan Ali Sherazai attended the prize giving ceremony as did Saudi Golf Federation president and Dirab golf course owner Khaled Abunayyan and Dirab Golf Committee chair Nasser Uddin Siddiqui.

The tournament sponsors are: Al Yahya Group , SPACCO, MN Bin Rajeh, Amaq Contracting, Saudi Hollandi Bank, Atheeb Trading, Electrolink Co. Ltd., GO, Hamed Carpet Est. and Dirab Gof & Country Club. Javed Shamim, Siddiqui, Tariq Javed, Dr. Arif Hussain, all pillars of Pakistani golf community, are the donors.