The team of Kevin Hanlon and Farhan Irfan emerged champion in the AlNakhla Open Golf Tournament 2015 last Friday at the Dirab Golf & Country Club on the outskirts of Riyadh.

Enjoying a tidy round of golf, Hanlon and Irfan won this 2-ball Texas Scramble format competition by countback from the Korean pair of Il Joong Kim and Mira Jung after the two teams tied on net score of 65. Hanlon and Irfan returned the better back nine score of 36 to the Koreans’ 39.

The winning team, with an 8 handicap, shot a gross score of 73, one over on the par-72 flat but challenging layout, while the Koreans finished on 76 with 11 handicap.

One stroke back in third place were Rees Gordon and Ruhan De Kock, who combined for 66 from a gross of 76 and 10 handicap.

Filipino youngsters Christer Rem Sibug and David Lloyd Bantug managed to break into the top five at fourth place despite having the lowest handicap among the podium winners on 6. Sibug, who is set to leave the Kingdom for college studies back in the Philippines, and Bantug had a net score of 67.

Kamal Fareed and Rohit Jamwal matched the Filipino duo’s 67 but settled for fifth position.

Hanlon and Irfan started and ended with a bogey on Nos. 6 and 4 but birdied the par-4 eighth to go one over coming out on a chilly Friday morning with little wind.

On the back nine they finished level par with birdies on 12 and 14 and bogeys on 13 and 18.

Kim and Jung made two birdies against three bogeys for a front nine 37. They had another birdie on the par-5 13 but eventually finished the back nine on 39 after bogeys on four holes at 10, 12, 15 and 16.

Jason Kniffen and Susan Tessier won the men’s and ladies longest drive awards with Tom Harwood claiming the closest to the pin plum.

Sheikh Salam Salama Saidan, owner of AlNakhla Compound, attended the prize giving ceremony and handed out prizes to the winners who received golf merchandise topped off by a complete set of Taylormade irons with Callaway bag for each member of the champion team.

The tournament was sponsored by AlNakhla Compound marking the first time of its partnership with the club using golf as platform to promote its profile and raise awareness for the brand. The sponsorship was facilitated by Al Nakhla Compound General Manager Hasif Hijazi.