Stableford title for Kim

More than 75 golfers turned out at Awali Golf Club on Friday for the A&E Carlsberg Stableford competition.

Kwang Bok Kim, on 39 points, achieved his first overall win as a member of AGC, with runner-up Abdulla Sultan Faraj adrift by a point and Ebrahim Al Hashel in third place, losing on countback. Chris Gregory came fourth with 37 points and Adnan Al Sowaidi followed in fifth.
 
Prizes were presented by African & Eastern key account manager, Rejoy Paul. As part of the sponsors’ requirements, prizes were forfeited if a contestant was not present at the prize-giving ceremony.

One player, also with 37 points, was out of the prizes in sixth place due to losing on countback. However, with one of the top five players absent, Barry O’Tuama, initially despondent, went home with a prize.

Meanwhile, the club’s fifth non-handicapper competition was held on Saturday, with 10 wannabees gathering enough courage and daring to demonstrate their lack of prowess in public.

Each group of players was accompanied by someone with a handicap certificate.
Master of disasters for the event was Dave Bailey, having taken the reins from the previous organiser, Alan Goulden, who has left Bahrain.

To put everyone’s nerves even more on edge, Bailey commenced pre-golf proceedings by mentioning that the focus was on trying to learn golf etiquette as well as golf and to help the non-handicappers avoid getting a reputation for slow play, apparently one of the biggest whinges from handicapped players.

Madeleine Doporto triumphed over others in the pressure situation, coming home after nine holes of play with a smile and 20 Stableford points to be the overall winner.

Joy Burns was two points behind as runner-up, Serwin Rampersad losing on countback.
 
Dave concluded proceedings by asking whether, with temperatures starting to rise as summer approaches, players would be interested in a sixth event at the beginning of May. Demonstrating that golf is full of surprises, a unanimous ‘yes, definitely!’ was returned.