Sunga leads winners of 2008 TOC

Louie J. Sunga denied the three-peat attempt of Jess “Mr. Unorthodox” Wabol by winning Championship Flight of this past weekend’s 13th Tournament of Champions at the Laolao Bay Golf Resort.

The Guamanian fired 72 yesterday in Day 2 of the two-day tournament. The even-par score plus the three-over-par 75 he fired on Day 1 last Saturday gave Sunga a three-over-par 147 for the tournament.

A stroke behind Sunga in the Championship Flight was first day leader Gi Yeong Kim, who came away with a four-over-par 148. Kim shot a division leading 73 last Saturday but couldn’t sustain his charge Sunday and wound up with a 75.

Adam Hardwicke came in third after the chief public defender carded a 74 and 76 in the two days for a two-round total of six-over-par 150.

Youth golfer Charlie Jo and Wabol complete the Top 5 in the Championship Flight with two-day scores of 151 and 152, respectively. Jo recorded a 74-77 and Wabol a 77-75.

Aside from Sunga winning the marquee division of the 2008 edition of the region’s biggest golf tournament, the TOC also hailed champions from six other divisions—A Flight, B Flight, C Flight, Seniors Flight, Super Seniors Flight, and Ladies Flight.

Ahn Jin was without peer in A Flight after his 154—built around a 75 and a 79—topped the division. Federico P. Flores was runner-up with his two-day total of 158 (80-78), while Peter Tenorio was third with his 160 (79-81).

B Flight, meanwhile, belonged to youth golfer Luis Byun who finished with a 158—78 in Day 1 and 80 in Day 2. Mario S. Salas and Prescil D. Azarcon complete the Top 3 in B Flight with their 160 (81-79) and 161 (81-80), respectively.

Azarcon actually finished tied with Leo Ganacias and Asterio Tawanpiy but took the top plum in B Flight after topping the two in a scorecard tiebreak.

Ted Malaran, for his part, reigned supreme in C Flight after nipping Mel Grey in yet another scorecard tiebreak—the lone championship that had to go to the scorecards.

Malaran and Grey came away with identical 178s in the two-day competition with the former firing a 91-87 and the latter a 90-88. Victor D. Pangelinan, meanwhile, copped third place with his 180 (85-95) with Das Krishnan 180 (89-91) at fourth after losing to Pangelinan in a scorecard tiebreak.

Retired presiding judge Edward Manibusan won the Seniors Flight with his 154 (80-74) with Nick Sablan a close second with his 155 (80-75). Kyonam Kim wound up in third place after matching Sablan’s 155 (75-80), while returning Tony Satur wound up in fourth with his 159 (81-78), the same score put up by fifth placer Toshiyuki Mori (80-79).

Lito Mendoza took the top plum in the Super Seniors Flight after the 62-year-old businessman came away with a two-day total of 161. Mendoza shot an 81 and an 80 last weekend.

Frank C. Castro and Jesus Taitano finished second and third in the Super Seniors with scores of 163 (84-79) and 167 (81-86), respectively.

Last but definitely the least, veteran golfer Noriko Togawa topped the Ladies Flight with her 161 (81-80). Fellow Commonwealth Women’s Golf Association member Shiori Onoue and Rose Tarpley came in second and third with scores of 168 (86-82) and 171 (90-81), respectively.

The 13th Tournament of Champions, which utilized both the east and west courses of the Kagman venue, drew a total of 195 golfers for a weekend of golf-for-a-cause.

This year’s TOC marked the 13th year of the tournament on Saipan. Since its inception, TOC has given over $500,000 to the Saipan Beautification Fund. This money has been used for the traffic medians from Garapan to the Palms Resort Saipan, the revitalization of the Garapan special district, the enhanced beautification of the Paseo de Marianas, lighting of the Beach Pathway, landscaping on the port to path walkway and other beautification projects.