Last year, Korean Kim was golf-deprived for two months and yet won on 72. Friday it looked as if he has given it all in a marathon practice with the most promising Saudi junior golfer, Faisal Salhab, that ended in gathering darkness. Talk about resiliency on the golf course.

“No great shakes. I just put the ball in the fairway and tried to make as many putts as possible. But I thought I played a steady round of golf,” said Kim, a taekwondo master who earns his keep by teaching golf to children and adults.

Kim bogeyed the par-5 first hole and birdied No. 4 to reach the turn at level 36. He dropped three shots on the back nine — the two par-5s 13 and 15 and the par-3 16 — to check in on 39.

On No. 13 the 41-year old Kim had a good drive leaving him only 180 yards of the flag. He pushed his second shot to the right on the edge of the bunker, chipped short and three-putted from the edge of the green. He overshot the green after a solid drive and yet another pushed shot to the right and again three-putted from the fringe of the green for another bogey on 15.

Another Korean, 9-year old Bohyun Park, stole some of the thunder when she showed promise of a golf prodigy in her amazing round of 88.

Park, a tiny wisp of a girl and third grader at Riyadh Korean School, was given a thundering applause at the awards ceremony. Her net score of 10-under 62 did not qualify her for a prize as per the club rules but she was given a trophy and plaque of recognition.

According to her father, Park, a 26-handicap, practices golf morning and afternoon daily. She goes to school after a 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. practice then returns to the golf course at 4 p.m. for another three hours hitting balls.

That Park broke 90 after only nine months of playing golf was truly remarkable.

Andy Ritchie was the Best Net champion after he shot a sizzling 66 from a gross score of 93 and 27 handicap.

Khaled Salem, one of three Bahrainis to travel overland to Riyadh for this tournament, won the First Division (0-9 handicap) with a 74 from a gross 78 and 4 handicap. Salhab took second place by countback from Jon Batty after both players tied on 75. The 7-handicap Salhab fired a gross 82 while Batty, who played off 9 handicap, tallied 84.

Mohamad Benamar clinched the Second Division (10-18) crown to add to his growing list of successes, the most recent of which was the Nations Cup that he and Bouchaib El Jadiani won for Morocco. He signed for a 71 from a gross 89 and 18 handicap. Second place went to Bob Lee on 72 and third to Graham Gunn on 74.

Winning the Third Division (19-28) was Pakistani Tariq Khan on 69 with Gary Richardson and Yoshio Kanamoto second and third on 70 and 71.

Sheila McIlroy shot one of her best rounds, an 83, to rule the Ladies Division with a net score of 68 after handicap of 15 was deducted. Myungoak Hwangbo and Ruby Klawikowski

Finished second and third on 69 and 74.

The award winners for longest drive men’s and ladies sponsored by EFX Arabia (Innovator Circle Est.) and closest to the pin went to Salhab and Klawikowski and Lee.

Khaled Abunayyan, president of Saudi Golf Federation and Dirab golf course owner, attended the awards ceremony along with Dirab Golf Committee Chairman Nasser Uddin Siddiqi and executives from Alhamrani Fuchs Petroleum Saudi Arabia Ltd. headed by Regional Manager Masood Ali Khan.

The raffle draw prize winners were Mark Campbell (Ping i-15 driver), Daniel Gauvin (Adams metal wood), McIlroy (Ping putter), Kim (Cleveland wedge), D. T. Chung (head cover) and Paul Jardine (head cover).