RIYADH, 24 June 2007 — When tee time comes there is nothing to stop the adventurous golfer, not even 40 plus-degree Celsius temperatures. On Friday 69 of them dared the elements during the June Monthly Medal golf tournament at the Dirab Golf Club here.
Saudi national team standout Fahad Al-Mansour, enjoying a rich vein of form, won his second straight monthly medal Best Gross honors, while Mark Duda, Sandy Leslie and Tariq Saeed Khan clinched division honors in the 18-hole stroke play competition sponsored by Dirab Golf Club.
Along with the winners many survived the punishing heat of the sun but there were five who gave up and withdrew. Still the day witnessed some good golf.
Al-Mansour, a 3-handicap, showed it was only a matter of time before he becomes scratch golfer when he shot an even par 73. His net score of 70 was the lowest in the First Division but under the rule a player is entitled to only one major prize so that the title in the division for the 0-9 handicap category went to 4-handicap Duda who carded a net 72.
Somchit Nakhong and another Thai, Boonyeun Supoch, rounded out the first three winners in the division on 72 and 74. Leslie carded a five-under 68 to claim the Second Division (10-18) crown with Al Cieluch and Bertil Sandstrom in second and third positions on 71 after the countback.
Khan was the winner by countback in the Third Division (19-28) over fellow Pakistani Tariq Sardar after both players with respective handicaps of 19 and 20 matched cards of 65. German Jurgen Rehfield took third on 68 bumping off Tony Herford in yet another countback.
The Al-Mansours made the event a family affair when Fahad’s younger brothers Abdul Rahman and Mansour claimed the first two places in the junior division on 67 and 76. Khalid Eddiweesh tied Mansour on 76 but had to settle for third in the countback.
Mitsuyo Saito and Hewan Abrahaley were the Ladies Division winners on 75 and 80.
The awards for longest drive went to Nakhong in the men’s and Abrahaley in the ladies division and for closest to pin to Khan.
Dirab Golf Club Manager Bouchaib El Jadiani and his staff organized the tournament. Fahad, now a Dirab Golf Committee member, presented the prizes at the awards ceremony.
