Fillipino Resty Sibug owned the best score in difficult conditions to emerge overall Best Gross champion and Pakistani Qais Qureshi played the round of his life to win overall Best Net title on Saturday in the 8th annual Zahid Tractor Open Golf Tournament at Dirab Golf & Country Club on the outskirts of Riyadh.

Though the chilly, foggy weather gave way to glorious sunshine halfway through the 18-hole stroke play competition the strong wind made the players struggle on the day especially on their way home with winds that gusted up to 30kph.

Sibug lost his ball off the tee on 17 in stiff wind for a double bogey but made par on his closing hole at 18, as he ended up with a gross score of 80 that was never threatened by the rest of the single-digit handicap players.

The 36-year old Sibug, a mechanical engineer by profession and Riyadh area manager at Saudi TKT Co., said his game was nothing special but he played well enough to add another trophy to his growing collection.

After a good drive Sibug dumped a 54 degree wedge from 100 yards and drained the 25-footer for his lone birdie on the par-4 No. 3 against four bogeys for a 39 at the turn. His card also included three further bogeys and that double bogey on 17 for a backside score of 41.

For his feat, Sibug, a native of Candaba, Pampanga in the Philippines, received a trophy and Titleist 913 D2 driver which he immediately swapped for a club he needed the most -- a Scotty Cameron putter of fellow Filipino golfer Jay Japos.

With a 27 handicap Qureshi, a senior director Private Banking at Emirates NBD in Riyadh, posted a sparkling net score of 67 from a gross of 94 for his first big win since taking up golf in 2007.

“I felt I was lucky when I won nearest to the pin on No. 7 but it was great I ended up winning,” said Qureshi. “It was a good day. I played with other good players and it helped raise my game,” he added.

“The course was fantastic, great and well maintained,” Qureshi said.

Tony Lizardo was the other Filipino to win a major prize shooting a 2-under net score of 70 in a round highlighted by a birdie from 25 feet on 18. His win in the men’s Second Division (10-18 handicap) ended a long title drought and effectively rewarded him with a nice send-off before leaving the Kingdom next week.

The men’s First Division (0-9 handicap) was decided via the countback with Robin Williamson beating Graham Gunn with a better backnine score of 40 to Gunn’s 44. Both players tied on 73 and played off 9 handicap. The 4-handicap golfer Dan McLanghlin came in third on 81.

Another Pakistani, Tariq S. Khan, took the second place in Second Division on 72 with Spence Hawthorn winning third place, after the tiebreak of comparing backnine scores, from Ronny Lidman 38-45. Hawthorn and Lidman both returned 73s.

In the men’s Third Division (19-28), South African Orazio Moritti was the winner on 69 with Filipinos Benjamin Santuyo and Sonny Acance claiming the second and third places on 72 and 73 respectively.

Like Sibug Liz Kennedy was another familiar winner in the Ladies Division on 71. Second place went to Meg Fordham on 73 and third place to Sile McIlroy on 74.

McIlroy also won the ladies longest drive award on No. 10 while South African Mark Campbell took home the same award on the men’s side.

Zahid Tractor and Heavy Machinery Co. Ltd. executives namely Regional Manager Faraj A. Tarhini and Regional Sales Manager Azzam Younis Radwan attended the awarding ceremony and presented prizes to the winners along with Dirab Golf Committee Chair Tariq Javed.

Also, Tarhini confirmed his company’s sponsorship of next year’s tournament, according to DGCC Golf Manager Bouchaib El Jadiani.