Geon Ju Lee wins HANMI tourney

Geon Ju Lee saved an even round to come out victorious in the Championship Flight of the 11th Annual HANMI Charity Golf Classic held at the Marianas Country Club last Saturday.

Lee birdied the first hole with three swings and held it steady through the front nine for a 1-under par 35 at the turn. He remained on pace against seven other players on his way back and even birdied the par-5 hole No. 13, but stumbled just before pulling into the clubhouse on the par-4 hole No. 17 with a double-bogey to settle for an even round of 72.

Still, Lee won by four strokes over Gi Young Kim, who started out with a 40 and finished strong with an even 36 for a 4-over par 76. Last year’s runner-up, Jeff Taylor, also penciled in a 40 on the front and finished with a 38 for a 78 raw tally, good for third place.

Notably, Kim also won closest to the pin honors on hole No. 16 with an approach that rested six feet from the cup. In addition, last year’s champion Jason Yi (38 and 42) finished only fifth this year with an even 80.

In the A Flight, Steve Jang topped a field of 15, winning by three strokes. He birdied the first hole, but settled for a bogey just two holes later before seasawing again with a birdie on the par-4 No. 5 and managing a 1-under par 35 at midpoint. He endured three bogeys on the backside, however, and finished with a gross of 74, but never really heard any footsteps.

Kuribayashi Tsukasa recorded a 40 on the front and came in with a 37 on the back for second place, while Ralph Yumul (38 and 41) accrued a 79 card for a third place showing. Yumul came out on the winning side of a tie with Ko Eui Suk (42 and37).

Ladies Flight’s Byun Soon Sun started out with a 46 and finished the back with a 42 for a gross score of 88 and net 71.2 to edge Su Jung Lee’s 72.8. Lee turned in a pair of 43s before the handicap adjustment.

Notably, Leina Kim turned in the lowest round of the day with a pair of 35s for an 2-under par 70 gross, but was entered in the Ladies Flight and settled for third in the low net category. Kim finished with a 73.6 net, tying Lee Young He, but won the tiebreak. The Ladies Flight was the only group that utilized a net scoring system.

In the Senior Flight, Mori Toshiyuki snuck past last year’s winner Edward Manibusan. Toshiyuki, who was also the closest to the pin winner on hole No. 6 with an approach that stopped just 3 1/2 inches from the cup, led a field of a dozen at the turn with a 36 and grinded out a 41 on the back side to finish with a 77 raw score. Just one stroke back was Manibusan, who started with a 38 and finished with a 40, while Manny Mangarero (40-41) rounded out the third spot with an 81.

In the B Flight, Young Kee Hong bested 25 other golfers with his 79. Hong worked a 39 on the front and followed it up with a 40 to win by one stroke over Kyuyeon Kim, who settled for a 44 on the front side and battled back with a 36 after the turn. Two strokes behind Kim was third placer Carl Hocog (40 and 42).

C Flight’s Luther Taylor topped a field of 19 with his 86. He jotted down a 42 on the front and managed a 44 on the back, two strokes ahead of Jack Salas (44 and 44), while young up-and-comer lady golfer, Lucy Park, (53-40) took third prize with her 93.

The Top 3 placers in each flight received trophies and cash prizes; $500 went to first $300 to second; and $200 to third.

Meanwhile, other closest to the pin winners were B Flight’s Jhun Calma (12’6”) on hole No. 8 and A Flight’s Alex Sablan (4’2”) on No. 12, while A Flight’s Ned Norita won longest drive honors on No. 15 and Yi took the most accurate drive award on No. 4.