RIYADH: Eric Liquigan and Joe Vallado delivered victory in only their second attempt as partners in team events and in the process led a 1-2 Filipino finish in the 10th Annual Pakistan Day Open Golf Tournament 2017 at Dirab Golf & Country Club on Saturday.
Liquigan and Vallado emerged the champion team after edging out Dennis Catapang and Verlito Quindoza in countback that went to the last six holes.
A third team, Tariq Javed and Abdulaziz Al-Helaisi, actually tied the Filipinos on net score of 64 at the end of the two-ball Texas Scramble format competition that had been delayed for a variety of reasons as Pakistan Day was celebrated on March 23.
When the back nine scores were compared to break the tie, the two Filipino sides were still tied on 35 with Javed, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, and Saudi Al-Helasi, on 39 to take the third position.
In the last six holes of the tiebreaker Liquigan and Vallado had 23 to the 25 of Catapang and Quindoza who settled with the runner-up prize in the 18-hole tournament with a shotgun start in glorious sunshine.
Marrias Ardfelt and Samir Fostock took fourth place following another countback with the tandem of Gerard Proudfoot and Rodney Simonetti, after the two sides tied on 65.
Ardfelt and Fostock shot the best back nine score of 34 that could have given them the title were it not for their handicap of 5 and having tied the gross score of 70 compiled by Liquigan and Vallado with a 6 handicap.
Catapang and the long-hitting Quindoza returned a gross 73 and played off 9 handicap, while Javed and Al-Helaisi with 11 handicap tallied a gross 75. Proudfoot and Simonetti carried a 13 handicap and made a gross score of 78.
Vallado, 63, and engineering head with Al-Haram Center in Riyadh, told Arab News he and Liquigan enjoyed a pretty solid round with the turning point in their title chase right down on their last hole, the par-5 No. 1, where Vallado rolled in a 14-foot putt for birdie after a Liquigan miss.
They complemented each other well, Liquigan taking care of the long game and Vallado clicking on and around the greens. To gain more distance Liquigan used driver on the fairways of par-5 holes.
The skill prizes for the men’s and ladies’ longest drive went to Russel Hargove and Jeo-Un Kim and closest to the pin to Pascal Cudy.
Sponsor representatives that attended the awards ceremony were Shahzad A. Shami, senior executive vice president and general manager ofNational Bank of Pakistan, and Amir Shahzad, FCA financial analyst/chief risk officer of Orix Leasing Company. Red Onion, a Pakistani restaurant, catered the sumptuous lunch for the participants.
The tournament sponsors are National Bank of Pakistan, Saudi Orix Leasing Company, American Express, Adma Shamran Trading Co., Usman Ali Bhutta and Dirab Golf & Country Club. Zaffarullah Khan, Khalid Raja, Ahmed Raja and Tariq Javed are the individual sponsors.
Liquigan and Vallado emerged the champion team after edging out Dennis Catapang and Verlito Quindoza in countback that went to the last six holes.
A third team, Tariq Javed and Abdulaziz Al-Helaisi, actually tied the Filipinos on net score of 64 at the end of the two-ball Texas Scramble format competition that had been delayed for a variety of reasons as Pakistan Day was celebrated on March 23.
When the back nine scores were compared to break the tie, the two Filipino sides were still tied on 35 with Javed, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, and Saudi Al-Helasi, on 39 to take the third position.
In the last six holes of the tiebreaker Liquigan and Vallado had 23 to the 25 of Catapang and Quindoza who settled with the runner-up prize in the 18-hole tournament with a shotgun start in glorious sunshine.
Marrias Ardfelt and Samir Fostock took fourth place following another countback with the tandem of Gerard Proudfoot and Rodney Simonetti, after the two sides tied on 65.
Ardfelt and Fostock shot the best back nine score of 34 that could have given them the title were it not for their handicap of 5 and having tied the gross score of 70 compiled by Liquigan and Vallado with a 6 handicap.
Catapang and the long-hitting Quindoza returned a gross 73 and played off 9 handicap, while Javed and Al-Helaisi with 11 handicap tallied a gross 75. Proudfoot and Simonetti carried a 13 handicap and made a gross score of 78.
Vallado, 63, and engineering head with Al-Haram Center in Riyadh, told Arab News he and Liquigan enjoyed a pretty solid round with the turning point in their title chase right down on their last hole, the par-5 No. 1, where Vallado rolled in a 14-foot putt for birdie after a Liquigan miss.
They complemented each other well, Liquigan taking care of the long game and Vallado clicking on and around the greens. To gain more distance Liquigan used driver on the fairways of par-5 holes.
The skill prizes for the men’s and ladies’ longest drive went to Russel Hargove and Jeo-Un Kim and closest to the pin to Pascal Cudy.
Sponsor representatives that attended the awards ceremony were Shahzad A. Shami, senior executive vice president and general manager ofNational Bank of Pakistan, and Amir Shahzad, FCA financial analyst/chief risk officer of Orix Leasing Company. Red Onion, a Pakistani restaurant, catered the sumptuous lunch for the participants.
The tournament sponsors are National Bank of Pakistan, Saudi Orix Leasing Company, American Express, Adma Shamran Trading Co., Usman Ali Bhutta and Dirab Golf & Country Club. Zaffarullah Khan, Khalid Raja, Ahmed Raja and Tariq Javed are the individual sponsors.
