RICK Kautz claimed the Saipan Golf Association’s April Ace title at the Kingfisher Golf Links with a net score of 62.
Das Krishnan also had a stellar performance as he started strong with a gross score of 36 on the front nine. He slightly struggled in his transition on the back nine, but he still ended with a decent gross of 38 for a total gross score of 74. With a handicap of 12, Krishnan’s net score was 62.
Kautz matched Krishnan’s output on the front nine, scoring a gross of 36 on the front nine. On the back nine, however, Kautz notched a gross score of 40 which gave him a total gross score of 76. And with a 14 handicap, his net score was 62.
Krishnan had the better tiebreaking score, but he had already won an Ace in a previous tournament so Kautz was named SGA’s April Ace of the Month.
John “Nanni” Cruz and Steve Balakrishna tied for third place with a net score of 71.
Cruz shot a gross of 45 on the front nine and 43 on the back nine for a total gross score of 88. Sporting a handicap of 17, he earned a net score of 71.
Balakrishna shot a gross of 42 on the front nine and improved his stroke on the back nine with a gross of 38 to hold a total gross of 80. With a handicap of 9, he ended with a net score of 71. Based on the scorecard playoff, however, Cruz finished third while Balakrishna was fourth.
In the Closest to the Pin side event, Alex Tudela nabbed hole #6; Steve Balakrishna ruled holes #8 and 15; and Ed Sablan triumphed at hole #12.
For the Longest Drive awards, John “Nanni” Cruz took hole #7 and Juanpan Guerrero reigned at hole #11.
The SGA Ace of the Month Tournament for May will be played at the LaoLao golf course on May 16, 2021, Sunday. Tee time is 9 a.m. with a show time of 8:30 a.m.
