Hocog, Ned Norita lead winners in Chamber golf tourney

Ned Norita, third left, and Carl Hocog, fourth left, are joined by the Saipan Chamber of Commerce officials and members for a photo after winning the low gross category in last Saturday’s 2019 Two-Person Scramble Golf Tournament held at Laolao Bay Golf & Resort. (Contributed Photo)

Carl Hocog and Ned Norita topped the low gross division of Saipan Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Two-Person Scramble Golf Tournament held last Saturday on the west course of the Laolao Bay Golf & Resort.

Hocog and Norita combined for a gross 63 to win the $1,000 top prize. Joey Dela Cruz and J.J. Atalig tallied 64 for runner-up honors and $700 cash, while Meae Jeon and Chang Hee Yoo clinched third place and won $500 for shooting a 65.

In the double peoria category, the champions were Manny Tenorio and Sylvio Ada, who carded 70.80 and took home $1,000. Gil Ah Kim and Seo Yeon Jeon were the second placers with their 72.20 and pocketed $700, while third finishers Tony Benavente and Pete Hocog received $500 for also firing 72.30.

Meanwhile, other contests included closest-to-the-pin, accurate drive, and longest drive. The winner for the closest to the pin contest in hole No.1 sponsored by DFS was Don Hallmark with six feet and six inches, while No. 13 sponsored by Mobil Marianas was won Ron Benavente with eight and a half inches away from the pin. For the accurate drive in No. 9 sponsored by MarPac, Mike Techur prevailed with a distance of three feet and two inches from the line, while the longest drive winner was Christian Camacho who smashed the ball 283 yards away. Each winner for optional play received $250 in cash.

Chamber board president Velma Palacios (IT&E), vice Joe Guerrero (JZ Group), board members Alex A. Sablan (Century Insurance) and Shayne Villanueva (Aon Insurance), and Events Committee co-chairs and board members Marcia Calvo (Calvo’s Insurance) and Janel Pangelinan (Pacifica Insurance Underwriters, Inc.) congratulated all the winners during the awards banquet held at “The Grill” of the Kagman facility.

Earliers during the registration, golfers enjoyed freshly brewed coffee and pastries courtesy of Herman’s Bakery. They were also given complimentary swag bag filled with goodies from StayWell Insurance, NMI Crime Stoppers, American Red Cross, and Saipan Snaps.

Loads of prizes were then raffled off during the banquet Raffle sponsors included Hyatt Regency Saipan, DFS, Hong Ye Trading Company, Fiesta Resort, MarPac, Kanoa Resort, Roil Soil, Tribe Marianas, Budget Carl Rental, Latte Built 24 Hour Gym, IT&E, The Shack, The Airstream, Marianas Business Plaza, Mobil Marianas Pacific Trading Co., and Tournament of Champions.

Hole-in-ones were sponsored by IT&E (No. 3/$5,000), Atkins Kroll Saipan (No.7/2020 Toyota Corolla), McDonalds of Saipan Hole (No. 13/$5,000), and Triple J Motors (No. 17/2019 Hyundai Elantra). Other holes were sponsored by Aon Insurance, Bank of Saipan, Island Training Solutions, First Hawaiian Bank, IP&E, Bridge Capital, MarPac, JZ Group, Budget Car Rental, Matson Navigation, and Docomo Pacific.

The Chamber would like to thank all of the players who came out to support the event, the volunteers from Saipan Young Professionals, Staywell Insurance, Power 99, Saipan Tribune, KSPN, and Marianas Variety. The Chamber would also like to recognize LSG Sky Chefs for providing a complimentary lunch to all the volunteers, the friendly staff at Laolao Bay Golf & Resort, and the Events Committee of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce.

This year’s golf tournament focused on providing college scholarships to enable the youth of our island to achieve their dreams by pursuing secondary education. This June, the Saipan Chamber of Commerce will once again award up to $12,000 in scholarships to deserving students in the high school, college, and vocational levels. (PR)