The Korean pair of Kim Jo Eun and Song Joung Youn became the first non-Saudi winner in the last three years of the Saudi national day golf tournament.
On Saturday, Kim and Song denied Kingdom national players Faisal Salhab and Abdulrahman Almansour a third straight Saudi victory in the 89th Saudi National Day Golf Tournament sponsored by Almarai Co. at the Dirab Golf & Country Club on the outskirts of Riyadh.
Salhab teamed with Prince Khaled Saud Al-Faisal to win the 88th edition of the event last year, while in 2017 another Saudi tandem, Abdulrahman Alothman and Saud Al-Malik, emerged winner.
Salhab and Prince Khaled were with different partners on Saturday, each looking to extend the Saudi streak in the prestigious event to officially open the 2019-2020 season at Dirab.
Salhab and Abdulrahman, best buddies who both first made their mark in the junior ranks not only in national but regional level as well, had the score to beat – a 9-under 63 that stood unchallenged while it lasted in the two ball Texas Scramble format competition held annually to celebrate the Kingdom’s national day.
As it turns out, the only mistake in an otherwise immaculate round of 31-32 — a bogey on 18 — cost the national team standouts with 0 handicap the tournament.
Both twenty-somethings, Salhab and Abdulrahman eagled the par-4 No. 8 and the par-5 15, while holing birdies at 4, 6 and 9 on a windless sunny day. They poured in three more birdies on the trot from the 12th hole but had to settle for runner-up following the costly error on their home hole.
The winning Korean duo, with a 6 handicap, was home in 10-under 62 to edge Salhab-Almansour by one stroke.
Kim, once a tiny wisp of a girl and now at 15 an outstanding lady golfer, which was no surprise coming from a family of golfers (her father is the scratch player M.S. Kim while brother Jalhan and mother also play golf), said her solid iron play was key to their victory.
Starting on the fourth hole, Kim and Song, 48, and a mechanical engineer with Saudi Aramco, finished the front nine on 35, picking up two birdies against a bogey on No. 5.
A birdie on 11 and eagle on the dog-leg right 13 gave them a sparkling backside score of 3-under 33 for a gross 68.
The third to fifth places were decided on countback. Bouchaib El Jadiani paired with Tariq Javed on 5 handicap to take third place from Abdulrahman Alothman and Abdulrahman Harakati while Pascal Cudet and Thierry Cuscusa rounded out the podium winners via another countback from Stewart Freeman Devlin and Debbie Edgar.
El Jadiani, now with the Saudi Golf Federation after long innings with Dirab, and Dirab Golf Committee Chair Javed tallied 32 to the 36 by Alothman-Harakati when the backnine scores were compared to break their tie at 64. Cudet and Cuscusa posted 38 to Devlin and Edgar’s 40. The two sides shot matching 65s.
The skill prizes for longest drive went to Abdulrahman M. Alothman and Kim in the men’s and ladies division respectively and nearest to the pin to Stuart Walker.
Almarai Public Relations Manager Abdullah Al-Otaibi attended the prize distribution ceremony where he handed out trophies and golf merchandise prizes to the winners.
Almarai, one in a line of corporate backers of Dirab, has been the national day tournament sponsor since 2010.
Up next in the new season, according to Dirab Golf & Country Club COO Shahid Rabani, are two events namely Irish Open on Oct. 18 and SABB Golf Championshhip on Nov. 30.
SOURCE : ALBILAD
