RIYADH, 12 April 2008 — Kingdom No. 1 Othman Almulla along with Ali Al-Sahli and Ali Balhareth demonstrated Saudi Arabia’s readiness to challenge powerhouse Bahrain for next week’s GCC Golf Championship after superb performances yesterday in the 2008 Fuchs Golf Championship at Dirab Golf Club.
Almulla, enjoying a rich vein of form in a stretch that saw him post one victory after another, secured the Best Gross title in the 18-hole stroke play competition with a 2-over 74.
Sahli won the First Division (0-9 handicap) crown with a net score of 74 and the veteran Balhareth clinched third place in the division with a 76 as the Saudi trio paraded their pedigree in an inspiring display that should boost confidence of the national team. Mubarak Al-Ghamdi is the other member of the four-man squad that will carry the Saudi colors in the second international competition to be hosted by the country at Riyadh Golf Course. In January, the Kingdom successfully hosted the 28th Pan Arab Golf Championship at Dirab in which Lebanon won their first title.
“This is a good warmup to the GCC tournament. I have good chances of winning the individual title if my present game holds,” said Almulla.
He said his round yesterday was not as good as he wanted and that he just held his game together and his experience pulled him through. Almulla shot nines of 39-35 and had three birdies on the 9th, 13th and 15th holes.
If this were the GCC tourney Sahli’s gross score of 79 and Balhareth’s 81 let alone Othman’s 74 would have been enough to give Bahrain a tough time.
Korean M. S. Kim, a zero handicapper like Othman, missed the Best Gross honors by one stroke and had to settle for the second position in the First Division on 75. Filipino Jun Saporsantos finally found his A-game at Dirab to shoot a net 68 that gave him the Second Division title.
A 17-handicap golfer, Saporsantos signed for an 85. Sandy Leslie took second place on 71 with Sean Boyd in third spot on 73.
The Saudi junior team who will compete alongside the men’s squad in the GCC event were likewise in fine fettle after the trio of Abdulrahman Al-Mansour, Khaled Attieh and Abdullah Hussain occupied the top three places in the Junior Division on 71, 74 and 74 in that order.
Ejaz Hussain, with a 26 handicap, was the winner in the Third Division (19-28) after he matched the day’s best net score of 68. Phajon H. claimed the runner-up prize on 71 and another Filipino Cesar Rosario took third on 72.
Chan Hwi Lee ruled the Ladies Division with an even-par 72, while Mitsuyo Saito and Eveline Hayler rounded out the first three winners on 73 and 77.
The longest drive plums went to Filipino Eric Liquigan and Madele Burger in the men’s and ladies divisions and the nearest to pin to Sean Boyd. Abdulsalam Rahman and Jeoff Lockwood won the raffle draw prizes of Taylormade putter and Taylormade rescue wood.
In attendance during the awards ceremony were VIPS from Alhamrani Fuchs Co. namely Ayman Darandary, deputy general manager, Marketing; Syed Umar Tariq, assistant manager Industrial Lubricants, and Masood Ali Khan, area manager, Central Region.
Saudi Golf Federation president and Dirab golf course owner Khaled Ibrahim Abunayyan attended the event as did Nasser Uddin Sidiqui, Dirab Golf Committee chairman; Andrea Corbett, marketing manager and Ibrahim Ali Najjar, assistant manager Marketing Support.
Next up at Dirab at the Xerox Golf Championship, a Stableford two-ball better ball format competition on April 18 and the Alrajhi Bank Championship on April 25.
