Stanton-Lewis champion in Maserati Open Golf Tournament 2016

RIYADH: The team of Paul Stanton and Dean Lewis overcame disadvantage in handicap and by sheer skills went on to win the Maserati Open Golf Tournament 2016 on Saturday at Dirab Golf & Country Club.
Stanton and Lewis, with not much elbow room on 4 handicap, shot a 10-under net score of 62 to become the champion in the two-ball Texas Scramble format event on countback from two other teams on a chilly Saturday morning.
Jonathan Mortell and Nikhil Lakhanpal and the tandem of Rashid Amin and Shafiq Mohammed matched the winning pair’s 18-hole net total but Stanton and Lewis had the lowest back nine of 33 when their scores were compared to break the ties. Mortell-Lakhanpal tallied 34 and Amin-Mohammed 38.
With an 8 handicap and gross score of 70, Mortell and Lakhanpal settled for the runner-up honors while the 11-handicap team of Amin and Mohammed clinched third place.
The fourth and fifth places were also decided on tiebreak, with the Filipino father-and-son team of Jun Bantug and David Lloyd Bantug besting Jason Kniffen and Neil Myres on the last 6 holes 35 to 37. Both teams tied on 63. The Bantugs had a gross score of 72 and 9 handicap and 10-handicap Kniffen-Myres 73-20.
Playing in a group with the top Filipino team of Alex Arellano and Resty Sibug, with a 3-handicap, Stanton and Lewis carded a gross 66 (33-33) in a bogeyless round that contained three birdies on each side including a nice 6-footer by Lewis that found the cup on the last hole.
Arellano and Sibug ended up out of the prizes on 68, their bid hurt by a double bogey on par-3 No. 7 when their tee shot went out of bounds.
The awards for longest drive men’s and ladies went to Mattias Ardfelt and Hyejin Byuoun while the closest to the pin plum went to Georges Baaklini.
The hole-in-one prize of a gleaming Ghibli S Q4 Maserati car worth SR321,000 was on display on No. 7 but none won with Phil Gandier as the closest to being the lucky one when his shot landed within inches of the cup.
Raffle draw prize winners were Shashidar (Titleist wood), Tom Trimble (Titleist wedge) and Jack Molony (Travel golf bag). Also, Dr. Patrick Kennedy and his wife won the raffle draw for a weekend Maserati car test drive.
Abdullah Danbar, Maserati Marketing Manager, and David Pimplot, Maserati Business Development Manager, handed over prizes to the winners along with golf course owner Khaled I. Abunayyan and Tariq Javed, chairman Dirab Golf Committee.
In his speech Danbar committed to continue support of golf in the coming years.