THE 5th Annual Marianas Classic Golf Tournament, presented by Visa and supported by Bank of Guam, IP&E, Pacific Points, and IT&E, proved to be a nail-biter with impressive performances throughout the event. Winners were named in the Low Gross and Double Peoria categories on Saturday at Lao Lao Bay Golf & Resort.
Leading off the awards ceremony were the Low Gross winners.
In the men’s Low Gross division, Ned Norita clinched first place with a gross score of 70.
“Every golf game is great. The weather was tough and the course was muddy. It rained really hard in the last five holes, but I just had to maintain my game,” Norita said. He added that his toughest challenge came at hole No. 7, where his ball went out of bounds toward the coconut trees, forcing him to drop and finish with a bogey. His best hole, however, was No. 1, where a strong drive and accurate second shot left him within 10 feet, setting up an easy birdie.
“There are a lot of good golfers out here today, but I tried to keep calm and just play my game — even if I missed a lot of birdies,” he said.
Norita dedicated his win to his son, who sponsored his entry, along with his family and granddaughter.
Second place was decided via tiebreaker between Brian Camacho and Zhi Yun Li, who both shot 71. In the scorecard playoff, Camacho’s birdie on hole No. 7 gave him the runner-up finish, while Li placed third.
In the women’s division, Me Ae Jeon captured the Low Gross title with a score of 77, followed closely by Sylvia Cai with 78.
The tournament also featured the Double Peoria format, which uses a hidden handicapping system to level the playing field across different skill levels.
In the men’s Double Peoria, Pete Sablan took first place with a net score of 69.2 on a gross of 92. Second place came down to another tiebreaker, as James Balajadia and Peter “Dung” Tenorio both shot 76 (gross) with net scores of 70. Balajadia prevailed in a scorecard playoff after sinking a birdie on hole No. 7.
In the women’s division, Yuko Togawa claimed first place in Double Peoria with a net score of 72.40 on a gross of 82. Saehee Kim took second with a net score of 73 on a gross of 79.
Additional awards went to players for their skills on individual holes:
Closest to the Pin
Hole No. 4: Chris Leon Guerrero (4 feet, 10 inches)
Hole No. 6: Stan Sablan (7 feet)
Hole No. 11: Harry Nakamura (2 feet, 5 inches)
Hole No. 15: Jerry Lim (1 foot, 3 inches)
Accurate Drive
Hole No. 7: Perry Inos
Hole No. 9: Carl Hocog (20 inches from the center line)
Longest Drive
Hole No. 18: Keith Kintol (289 yards)
Ned Norita, who placed first in the men’s Low Gross category, poses for a photo with Dave Guerrero, Bank of Guam CNMI regional manager, and Marcie Tomokane, BOG vice president/CNMI regional community development officer, during the banquet of the 5th Annual Marianas Classic Golf Tournament at LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort on Saturday.
Pete Sablan, who topped the men’s Double Peoria category, poses for a photo with Dave Guerrero, Bank of Guam CNMI regional manager, and Marcie Tomokane, BOG vice president/CNMI regional community development officer, during the banquet of the 5th Annual Marianas Classic Golf Tournament at LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort on Saturday.
Me Ae Jeon, the women’s Low Gross category winner, poses for a photo with Dave Guerrero, Bank of Guam CNMI regional manager, and Marcie Tomokane, BOG vice president/CNMI regional community development officer, during the banquet of the 5th Annual Marianas Classic Golf Tournament at LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort on Saturday.
Yuko Togawa, the winner of the women’s Double Peoria category poses for a photo with Dave Guerrero, Bank of Guam CNMI regional manager, and Marcie Tomokane, BOG vice president/CNMI regional community development officer, during the banquet of the 5th Annual Marianas Classic Golf Tournament at LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort on Saturday.
IT&E CEO David Gibson, Bank of Guam President & CEO Joaquin Cook, and Citadel Pacific CEO Jim Beighley.
