Kamikaze leads Mt. Carmel golf champions

Veteran Joe “Kamikaze” Camacho was on top of his game Saturday as he won the Championship Flight of the 4th Annual Mt. Carmel School Golf Tournament at the Laolao Bay Golf Resort West Course, which featured 105 participants.

Kamikaze finished tied with close friend and fellow veteran Jess Wabol as both finished with scores of 1-over 7. However, Camacho was able to bag the title courtesy of a scorecard tiebreaker.

The many-time champion of the local golf scene had a rough start as she shot a 40 in his first nine holes, but recovered with a sizzling 33 on the back nine to claim top honors.

For his part, Wabol shot a 36 in the front nine before closing out his day with a 37 in his final nine holes.

Third place went to Jeff Taylor, who shot a 39 on the front and 35 on the back for a score of 2-over 74.

The Championship Flight, however, was not the only category with golfers turning in impressive performances as the tournament also featured competition in the A Flight, B Flight, C Flight, Senior Flight, and Ladies Flight.

Grabbing headlines from the A Flight was Steve Jang, who got through with a score of 78 after taking 40 shots in the front nine and 38 in the back nine. Jang was tied with Manny Mangarero, who posted identical scores in the front and back, but was able to earn the first place finish via tiebreaker.

Third place went to Alex Sablan, who fired a score of 79, hitting one more shot than Jang and Mangarero in the back nine.

For his part, Saipan Grand Hotel’s Ed Cho took top honors in the B Flight as he shot an 80. He was tied with Rep. Arnold Palacios. However, Cho emerged as champion via tiebreaker. Cho shot a 41 and 39 in the front and back, while Palacios had even 40s on both.

Father Manny Corcuera took home third place with a score of 81, shooting one shot more than Palacios on the front nine.

Meanwhile, Jordan Kosam was the top golfer in C Flight as he edged Carlos Salas by one stroke with his score of 85. Salas finished with a score of 86, while George Sablan bagged third place with a score of 87.

Alex Tudela shot 39s in both the front and back nines and after his nine handicap came into play, was recognized as the top winner in the Senior Flight with a net score of 69. John Sheater finished with a net score of 70 after shooting 38s in both front and back while sporting a six handicap, while Lito Mendoza place third with a net score of 70, shooting 37 and 40 in the front and back with a 7 handicap.

For her part, Emily Santos won the Ladies Flight, shooting a 45 in the front and 40 in the back, while posting a 14 handicap for a net score of 71. She was followed by Belle Grandinetti, who finished with a net score of 74 after shooting a gross of 90 and holding a 16 handicap, while female wonder Noriko Togawa shot a net score of 75 with just a 2 handicap.

Richard Lizama also took home a cash prize after winning the closest to the pin contest.

The number of participants is the most attracted by the tournament. About 70 golfers took part two years ago, and the number grew to 80 a year ago.

Prizes raffled off included roundtrip tickets to Manila and Guam, as well as overnight stay at the Pacific Islands Club.