Saudi national golf team standout Faisal Salhab won Overall Best Gross honors and Mujib Minhas Overall Best Net crown in the Saudi Fransi Capital Open ‘Swing for the Big Win’ golf tournament at Dirab Golf & Country Club on the outskirts of Riyadh recently.

The young Salhab,18, who divides his time between the Kingdom and Dubai where he is enrolled in a university as a first-year engineering student, was far and away the best among the single-digit handicappers on the day as he shot a winning score of 1-over 73.

The long-hitting Salhab birdied No. 8 to go level par at the turn after a bogey on the third hole. Salhab stumbled to a double-bogey 6 on 10 and a bogey on the succeeding hole but quickly made up ground with birdies on 12 and 14 to be on 37 coming home.

Minhas posted the low net of 65 from a gross score of 73 and handicap of 13. Enjoying pretty good round, Minhas was only 1-over 37 on the front nine where he mixed three birdies and four bogeys. He had a 41 coming in.

In what was to be the first of two 1-2 finishes by this Filipino father-and-son tandem in three weeks Resty and Christer Rem Sibug returned 70 and 71 respectively for the first two places in the Men’s First Division (0-9 handicap) with big Clark Windros third on 73 from a gross of 77 and 4 handicap. Resty played off 7 handicap and Rem off 9.

Winning the Second Division (10-18) after the countback was Niko Ruokosko who tied with Filipino youngster David Lloyd Bantug on 70. Australian Dr. Patrick Kennedy took the third place on 71 (87-16).

The Third Division title went to Dale Spisak after he shot 66 (92-26) for a three-stroke victory over Filipino Benjamin Santuyo 69 (92-23) with Ruhan De Kock in third place with 70 (93-23).

The Ladies Division had a familiar ring to it with Korean Mi Ra Jung again the winner on 68. Hyejein Byoun took second position on 72 and Chira Formenton third on 74.

The longest drive awards for men and ladies were won by Qais Qureshi and Elizabeth Kennedy while Roy Salyer took home the closest to the pin plum.

To spice up the event sponsor Saudi Fransi Capital put up two hole-in-one prizes — Peugeot car on No. 7 and Harley Davidson on No. 11 — but none won either prize.

Mazen Hamad, head of Marketing of Saudi Fransi Capital, handed out the prizes to winners along with golf course owner Khaled Abunayyan, and Tariq Javed, Dirab Golf Committee chairman.