Jeon cleans up at HANMI Golf anew

Me Ae Jeon, center, poses with organizers and her championship certificate and $500 check after topping the 21st Annual HANMI Charity Classic Golf Tournament last Saturday at the LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort. (MARK RABAGO)

Me Ae Jeon is in familiar territory again after winning the 21st Annual HANMI Charity Classic Golf Tournament last Saturday at the LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort.

The 62-year-old entrepreneur topped the popular blackjack double peoria tournament by shooting a net score of 70.20. 

Jeon fired a gross score of 81 but won due to her 10.8 handicap.

Second place went to Joseph Sablan after he finished with a net score of 70.4 on the strength of his 80 gross score and 9.6 handicap. 

Rounding out the Top 3 was Ben Duenas, who actually tied with Sablan with a net score of 70.40. 

Both golfers also hacked out identical gross scores of 80 and handicaps of 9.6. Sablan, however, edged Duenas via scorecard playoff on hole No. 4 where Sablan made a par and Duenas came away with a bogey.

Jeon, Sablan, and Duenas all went home with $500 each.

Jeon, who has been playing golf the past 18 years, said she was surprised as ever to win the HANMI Charity Classic Golf Tournament again as she was not feeling well the night before.

The Top 3 of the 21st Annual HANMI Charity Classic Golf Tournament—Me Ae Jeon, Joseph Sablan, and Ben Duenas—poses for a group photo with organizers.(MARK RABAGO)

She dedicated her win to her playing partner, Yannu Cai. In fact, she will treat Cai to a very expensive meal to celebrate her victory in the HANMI tourney. 

Asked about the high and low points of the tourney, Jeon said her best hole was No. 16 when she hit a birdie. Conversely, her worst hole was right after that on No. 17 when she double-bogeyed.

Aside from winning the HANMI Charity Golf tourney before, Jeon also recently won the ladies flight of the 2023 NMC Open Golf Tournament, her third. She also topped a previous edition of the Tournament of Champions as well as other minor golf tournaments.

Fourth to seventh place and receiving $300 cash were Ned Norita, Sixtus Aquino, Giovanni Mira, and Franco Santos.

Also pocketing $200 for finishing eighth to 12th place were  Dominic Kieffer, Freddy Flores, Rick Sablan, J.J. Atalig, and Sherlyn Jones.

Consolation prizes for landing in predesignated spots on the pecking order were Byung Do Min (120th place), Ronnie Yeom (80th place), Gerald Guerrero (40th place), and Peter “Dung” Tenorio (20th place). All went home with $100 each.

Optional play winners, who are now $200 richer, were Freddy Flores on hole No. 3 (31.5 inches), Franco Santos on No. 7 (86 inches), Flores again on No. 13 (16 inches), and Domingo Atalig on No. 17 (39 inches) in the closest to the pin competition. Kim Sae Hee had the most accurate drive on hole No. 9 at 6.5 inches. 

A portion of the proceeds of the 21st Annual HANMI Charity Classic Golf Tournament will benefit the Marianas Tourism Education Council and 500 Sails.  

MTEC is a non-profit organization committed to educating the Marianas community, especially school children, about the Marianas tourism industry.  500 Sails is a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the maritime traditions of the Mariana Islands.