RIYADH: Mohammed Benamar had left in a huff to catch an appointment even before the awards ceremony could start. Much to his surprise he knew later on that he and partner Alistair McIllroy yesterday won the first Petromin Oils Golf Championship at the Dirab Golf Club on the outskirts of Riyadh.
“I was really very surprised when I was told we won the tournament. Not that we were not confident, there were many who played really well,” said Benamar of their victory in the Texas Scramble two ball better ball format competition in which 50 percent of the players’ combined handicap was used to compute the net score. As Texas Scrambles go incredibly low scores are par for the course and four of the first five winners at yesterday’s event broke 60.
The winning pair of McIllroy and Benamar, with a combined handicap of 15, posted a net 55 off a gross score of 70 for a three-stroke victory over Flore Bouzanne and Richard Gaas.
Bouzanne and Gaas actually produced the day’s best gross score of 69 but their handicap of 11 proved too little to help cushion a victory as they settled for the runner-up prize on 58 in the tournament that attracted 102 players and 51 teams that enjoyed a day out on the course in excellent conditions.
Third place went to the pair of Finlay Graham and Casey Blatch who prevailed on countback over Jean Bouzanne and Eric Liquigan, after both teams tied on 59. Graham and Blatch carried 12 handicap and scored 71 gross while Jean and Liquigan, with a combined handicap of 13, returned 72.
Three teams tied on 60 but the duo of Lars Jansson beat out David Cannon-Tom Watters and the husband and wife team of Shitaro Tsukuda and Mami Tsukuda for fifth place.
McIllroy, of Almarai Company, and Benamar, general manager at Radisson SAS Riyadh Hotel and district manager of Razedor Hotel Group Saudi Arabia, complemented each other well. They highlighted their 36-34 round with birdies on eight, 12, 13 and 15 against bogeys on No. 3 and No. 18.
“We played very well as a team. We managed the game according to our strengths and technical skills,” said Benamar whose lovely chip shot set up McIllroy for a birdie on the eighth hole.
Phil Gandier clinched the award for closest to the pin while Connie Nucci and Mitsuyo Saito were the men’s and ladies straightest drive award winners. Winners of the draw for the raffle prizes of Taylormade cart bag and one box of Titleist ProV1 golf balls were Tony Kostantinidis and Salman Khan.
Present during the prize distribution ceremony were Petromin Oils executives namely Tariq Javed, regional manager; Mohammad Faraz Ali, regional sales manager; and Najib Mohammed, sales manager.
Bouchaib El-Jadiani, golf professional and Dirab Golf Club manager, and Naseeruddin Siddiqui, Dirab Golf Committee chairman, also attended the ceremony.
