Gus Camacho tops RGA January Ace

Gus Camacho ruled the green and the fairways of the Laolao Bay Golf Resort’s east course this past Saturday, Jan. 21, en route to winning the Refaluwasch Golf Association January Ace of the Month Tournament.

The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. employee was a picture of consistency in all 18 holes, firing a 38 in the front nine and a 40 in the back for a gross score of 78.

Minus his 10 handicap, Camacho wound up with a sterling net score of 68, a stroke ahead of his nearest pursuers.

Eddie Peter and Jess Wabol were hot in Camacho’s coattails but wound up tied with identical net scores of 69 with the former edging the RGA president on the front nine tiebreak, 33.5-34.5.

Peter, a former instructor of the Northern Mariana Islands Junior Golf Association, shot a gross score of 74 after going 36 in the front and 38 at the back. He has a handicap of 5. The 3-handicap Wabol, for his part, fired a 36 in the front and a 38 in the back for a gross score of even-par 72.

There was a three-way tie for fourth place with baseball and softball great Tony Satur, youth golfer James Balajadia, and RGA vice president Alex Aquiningoc tallying similar net scores of 72.

Satur, however, edged Balajadia and Aquiningoc in the front nine with his 32.5 net score, while the two wound up with identical 35s. The 5-handicap Satur came away with a gross score off 77 after registering a 35 and a 42 in the front and back nines.

Balajadia fired a 41 and 43 for a gross score of 84, while Aquiningoc was good for 43 and 44 for a gross score of 87.

In the closest-to-the-pin contest, new member Rex Palacios won on the 4th hole, while old hand Jordan Kossam was tops on the 15th hole.

Aside from Palacios, RGA also welcomed new members Balajadia and Ed Tenorio. Palacios and Tenorio finished with net scores of 73 and 80, respectively.

Other members that participated in the January swing-off were Sasaki Oliver (74 net), Louie Tilipao (75), Joe “Kamikaze” Camacho (77), former Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director Carlos Salas (78), Kossam (78), Bill Kaipat (82), Joe Wabol (83), Ed Kapileo (87), Louie Peliseman (88), and Sonny Flores (90).

RGA president Joe Wabol also reminded interested golfers that the qualification rounds for this summer’s Micronesian Games team would start next month. He said regardless if golf would be struck out of the events for the Games, RGA would still continue with the qualification rounds, as the results would determine the makeup of the squad for the 2007 South Pacific Games in Apia, American Samoa.

For more information about RGA and the rest of its monthly tournaments this year, contact Jess Wabol at 288-1129.