Two hole-in-one challenges in Docomo Classic

A pair of roundtrip tickets to anywhere in the U.S. and $25,000 in cash are the hole-in-one prizes at stake in the 2nd Annual Docomo Classic Golf Tournament, which tees off this Saturday at the Laolao Bay Golf Resort’s west course.

The roundtrip tickets are sponsored by Delta Air Lines, while the $25,000 cash is donated by Bank of Hawaii.

Docomo Pacific Saipan general manager James Nelson said net proceeds from the event will benefit the Marianas Tourism Education Council, an organization focused on increasing awareness and supporting tourism-related programs benefiting students of the CNMI Public School System.

“We all understand that our economy is going through some very tough times, but we cannot stop investing in our youth. The net proceeds raised from this tournament is one way we can invest in our youth and in the only industry we have left—tourism. There is no mistaking the fact that tourism is everybody’s business,” he said.

Aside from the two hole-in-one prizes, champions will also be hailed in six flights, namely Championship, A, B, C, Senior, and Ladies.

The Top 3 place finishers for all six flights will receive $300, $200, and $100, respectively. Closest to the pin side bets will also be offered along with numerous raffle prize during the awards ceremony to be held immediately following the event at the Laolao Bay Golf Resort.

Nelson said a modified Calloway scoring system will be used in the tournament. The format is an individual 18-hole tournament where a player’s handicap is used to formulate his or her net score; the player’s highest and lowest scores are discarded during this process.

Although, most on island tournaments use a different scoring system, Nelson said organizers stayed with the modified Calloway format after receiving positive feedback from last year’s participants.

Early registration is strongly encouraged by 6pm on Friday, Sept. 2. But late entrants will be accepted on a “space-available” basis only.

Entry forms can be obtained at the Docomo Pacific in Gualo Rai, Laolao Bay Golf Resort, Coral Ocean Point, Kingfisher Golf Links, Marianas Country Club, and Dandan Driving Range.

The Docomo Classic’s major sponsors include DFS Saipan Ltd., Mobil Oil Marianas, McDonald’s Saipan, Tan Siu Lin Foundation, as well as 25 other supporters.

Organizers are hoping for at least 100 golfers for the Docomo Classic’s sophomore edition after 77 golfers participated last year.

Showtime is set for 6am with a 7:30am shotgun start.

The entrance fee to participate is $85, but in appreciation for its loyal customers, Docomo subscribers can register for $75.

Last year, Tony Satur defeated Jason Yi by one stroke to win the Championship Flight with a modified score of 64. Other winners included A Flight’s Peter Tenorio, who managed a modified score of 58; Joe Suarez, who came out with a 56 in B Flight; Jun Hak Song, who came away with a 56 total to top C Flight; Rick Kautz, whose 59 gave him the top honors in the Senior Flight; and Me Ae Jeon, who carded a 62 to take first place in the Ladies Flight.

For more information, contact James Nelson at 483-4215 or email jnelson@docomopacific.com.