RIYADH, 22 September 2007 — The Lebanese trio of Marvin Kusa, Talal Sarieddine and his wife Aelis Sarieddine yesterday won the 3rd annual Saudi National Day Golf Tournament at Dirab Golf Club here.
Fifteen four-member teams and 3 three-man squads teed it up on a windless bright sunny day for the Ambrose Texas Scramble format competition with 1/8 allowance of the combined handicap.
As scramble events go incredibly low scores are par for the course because team members hit from the selected spot for their second shot and so on and each member should have at least four tee shots to count.
When the dust settled, the Lebanese threesome were the winners by countback over the team of Dennis Wickie, Dave Smith, Connie Nucci and Grant Price, after both teams posted the lowest net score of 56.
Complementing each other’s efforts in a masterly team performance the Lebanese hit eight birdies in a bogeyless round including three in a row from the 14th hole.
Wickie’s team actually had the best gross score of 63 but gave up one stroke on handicap to enable Kusa’s squad to catch them and beat them into second place in the tiebreak.
“We’re happy and excited to win because all three of us contributed to the victory. Marvin showed us the way and my game off the tee was good and my wife’s putting lifted us,” said Talal.
The team of New Zealander Julian Bennett, James Shin, Michael Davis and Tony Hereford clinched the third position on 58.
The longest drive awards for men and ladies went to Mark Carpenter and Sue Lockwood, while Filipino Pedy Lualhati won the closest to pin accolade.
Meantime, Khaled Abunayyan, golf course owner and president of Saudi Golf Committee yesterday was filled in by DGC Manager Bouchaib El Jadiani on the course setup being prepared for the Pan Arab Championship which the Kingdom will host in November.
Abunayyan made a tour of the course while giving instructions to El Jadiani, who said Dirab at 7,308 yards is one of the longest courses in the Middle East and that it has been certified as a championship course for international play by the USGA (United States Golf Association). Among the changes on the course, No. 13 has been lengthened to a par-5 and No. 17 reconfigured from par-5 to par-4. Prior to the Pan Arab clambake El Jadiani said two tournaments will be mounted namely Dirab Golf Club-Rolling Hills Aramco Golf Club Ryder Cup-style matches on Oct. 19-20 and SABB Monthly Medal on Oct. 26.
