RIYADH — Saudi national golf team standout Abdurahman Almansour upstaged all as he played one of the most memorable rounds of his young career on Friday to win the 3rd Annual GIB Golf Cup at Dirab Golf & Country Club here.

Almansour, 24, was dialed in for the day and had few mistakes in a sparkling round of 5-under 67 that gave him the Overall Best Gross title in the prestigious invitation-only 18-hole individual stroke play tournament. “I didn’t feel like I’m gonna win today but I felt like I’d play great,” said Almansour.

Almansour rolled in a 35-foot putt for eagle on the par-4 No. 8 to put the exclamation point to a breakout performance on the flat but challenging layout carved on the Tawfiq valley some 60 kms from the City Center.

Almansour, a college sophomore taking up a business course at King Abdulaziz University in Riyadh, also had five birdies against only two bogeys in nines of 34-33.

Almansour started on No. 3 in the same group with fellow national player Ali Alsakha, a highly competitive player, and together they brought the best out of each other.

“But I killed him with my eagle,” boasted Almansour, referring to his eagle-two he set up by landing his three-wood off the tee to the green via the short route above the trees and across the out-of-bounds to the right of the 340 yards eighth hole.

Alsakha, with a net score of 74, ended up in fourth place in the men’s First Division (handicap 0-9) that Gerry Davis won on 71 from a gross score of 73 and handicap of 3.

With the victory Almansour earned a spot for the pro-am event in the European Tour event, which Saudi Arabia will host for the first time on Jan. 30 to Feb. 3 next year.

Dean Lewis took second place on 73 (74-1) while Landon Jackson claimed the third position on 74 (74-0) on countback from Alsakha. Lewis also earned a pro-am spot at the Royal Greens Golf Club at KAEC, which was the grand prize in the raffle draw.

Pakistani golfer Irfan Hanif grabbed Overall Best Net crown by countback after he and Filipino banker Philip Cortejos, chief risk officer and group vice president at Alinma Bank, tied on 2-under net score of 70.

Cortejos did not go home empty-handed, however, winning the men’s Third Division (19-28) ahead of Akim Hank 73 (93-20), tournament host Abdulaziz Al-Helaissi 74 (94-20) and Dirab Golf Committee chair Tariq Javed 74 (95-21), who came second, third and fourth in that order.

On a sunny windless day that made for a perfect golfing weather the husband-and-wife team of Paul Baxter and Kathryn Baxter, from UK, both emerged winners in the men’s Second Division (handicap 10-18) and Ladies Division on 72 (85-13) and 73 (97-24).

The other podium winners in the Second Division were Abdulrahman Alothman, among the 16 Saudi golfers invited for the event, Saud Al-Malik and Mark Trezepacz. Alothman, and Al-Malik matched Baxter’s card of 72 in taking second and third while Trzepacz had a 73 in fourth place.

Rounding out the Ladies Division winners were Sigrid Steinasdottir, Martina O’Reilly and Wendy McLaughlin, all with 74s. The skill prizes for longest drive men’s and ladies went to John Kirwan and Kathryn and closest to the pin to Alistair Lloyd.

Al-Helaissi, CEO of Gulf International Bank, thanked the participants including the business community in Riyadh for their support of the event.

For the 2018 edition, two hole-in-one prizes of McLaren sports car and Volvo SUV collectively worth more than SR2 million had been put up for grabs along with the handsome array of golf merchandise. No one won the hole-in-one prizes. Dirab Golf Committee Chair Tareq Javid came within 15 inches of a hole-on-one albeit it was on the wrong hole for a prize — on No. 7. The McLaren was on No. 4.

Also, the prize distribution ceremony was attended by the Saudi Golf Federation Chairman Yasser Al-Rumayyan, who shared what they are doing to grow the game of golf at the federation including the 13 golf courses that will be built across the country.

Another big event, the 13th Annual SABB Golf Championship, takes place Dec. 15 at Dirab. — SG