Korean wins Championship Flight
Saipan Tribune
A former junior champion golfer from South Korea braved the rain and the less than ideal conditions at the
Laolao Bay Golf Resort over the weekend to win the Championship Flight of the 15th Annual Tournament of
Champions
Geon Ju Lee of Korea ruled the Commonwealth's biggest golf competition of the year following an even par
144 performance in the 36-hole event.
The TOC first-timer was on top of the leaderboard after Day 1 last Saturday as he shot a 1-under par 71. He
then survived a rocky start in Day 2 yesterday to finish with a 1-over 73 for a four-stroke win against a tough
field in the Championship Flight.
Lee shot a 37 in the front nine yesterday with bogeys in holes No. 1, 7, and 9 negating his birdies in holes
No. 2 and 5.
He was steady in the back nine though, as the 32-year-old made up for a bogey in the five-stroke hole No.
14 with a birdie on the 18th and last hole.
“I've been enjoying my stay on Saipan.it's really is a beautiful place. As far as the tournament, I felt really
good on the first day, but the second day was very rocky at times. Because of the rain I had to make sure to
keep ball in the fairway off the tee and fortunately I putted well on Sunday to hold on for the win,” he said.
For his feat, Lee received a handsome championship trophy along with $600 and a bottle of Johnny Walker
Gold Label.
Lee beat Jin Woo Park and local driving range instructor Bae Young Man for the championship after the two
registered two-day totals of 148 and 149, respectively.
The two were tied after first round with identical 75s going into the last day, before Park edged out Bae by a
stroke, 73-74, in the second round to steal runner-up honors.
Local golfer Keina D. Kim, meanwhile, finished well ahead of the field in the Ladies Low Gross competition.
Kim scored a 76 on Day 1 followed by an impressive 73 in the rain-soaked second day to take first place by
six strokes.
CNMI Women's Golfers Association's Noriko Togawa won second place after marking a consistent 78 on
the first day and a 77 on the final day for a total of 155. Ten strokes behind her was Jung Yoom Kim who
tallied an 83 on the first day and an 82 in the second for a 165 total.
In the A Flight, Xian Lai Cui marked a 79 on Day 1, but bounced back on Sunday with a 75 to total a 154
series for the first place trophy.
Nathan Zhao jumped ahead with an impressive 73 on Day 1, but struggled in the rain on Sunday with an 83
and finished two strokes behind Cui at 156. Refaluwasch Golf Association's Tars Olopai played consistent
in varied conditions to round out the third spot with a 160 (79-81).
After both finishing with 160s on Sunday, Young Woo Lee won the scorecard tiebreak over Prescil D.
Azarcon for first place honors in the B Flight. With a 79 after the first round, Lee trailed Azarcon by two
strokes going into Sunday's final round.
Eun Sam Cui tallied an 84 on the first day, but finished strong with a 79 to total 163 and a four-stroke win in
C Flight. Danny Quitugua shot a consistent 83 and 84 for a 167 second place total and Takashi Nakata
finished with an 84 and 88 to finish with a third best 172.
In the Senior Flight, NMASA Hall of Famer Tony Satur won by three strokes with an impressive 75 in the first
round and a 78 in the second to total 153. Former Superior Court presiding judge Edward Manibusan and
Vic Borja were tied at 156 after Sunday's final round, but Manibusan eventually edged Borja via scorecard
tiebreak and was awarded second place.
In a tight Super Seniors Flight clash, Duke Yoo marked an 82 followed by an 80 for a 162 total and first
place. A stroke behind came Bill Garris with an 82 on Day 1 and an 81 in the final round. Jesus M. Taitano
also scored an 82 opener, but struggled in the rain to finish with an 85 to total with a third-best score of 167.
In addition, Korea's Young Hee Yoo won the Low Net Score in the Ladies flight with a score of 145.8. I Sun
Park placed second with a 146, and CWGA's Sherlyn P. Jones came close behind in third with a 146.4.
Aside form the Ladies Low Net category, all first place winners won a cash prize of $600, second place
finishers won $500, and third placers took home $400 along with trophies and a bottle of Johnny Walker.
Fourth place finishers won digital cameras and fifth place finishers won $100 gifts certificates courtesy of
DFS Galleria Saipan.
Various other prizes were also awarded during the TOC raffle drawing such as television sets, cell phones,
golf bags, umbrellas, a generator, tool center, various hotel stays and gift certificates, coolers, i-Pods,
netbooks, a Blu-ray player, a painting, and more. In addition, a “Ball Drop” raffle also took place.
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Geon Ju Lee of Korea won the Championship Flight of the 15th Annual
Tournament of Champions held at the Laolao Bay Resort over the
weekend. He is seen here being presented his cash prize and a bottle of
Johnny Walker Gold Label by TOC tournament director Ben Babauta, left,
and DFS Saipan president Marian Aldan-Pierce. (Walter J. Sutherland)
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