Leina Kim won the Philippine Independence Day Open Golf Tournament championship last Sunday after besting a field of 45 at the Coral Ocean Point Golf Resort.<\/p>\n
Eight days after ruling the 2011 HANMI Cup on the same golf course, the 19-year-old Colorado State University at Pueblo student annexed her second Philippine Independence Day championship trophy after shooting a net 71.8 in the double peoria tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really, really surprised I came out on top today. There were a lot of good golfers who played the tournament and I guess I\u2019m just lucky that despite that and the scorching heat this morning, I won,\u201d said Kim during the awards banquet held Sunday evening at the Aqua Resort Club.<\/p>\n
Kim, who ruled the same tournament in 2007, dedicated her win to her brother Michael, who is currently undergoing basic training in the U.S. Army; and sister Haina, who is already serving in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
Kim immediately tamed the greens and fairways of COP, as she took the lead of the Fil-Taga Golf Association-organized tournament in the front nine.<\/p>\n
Birdying holes No. 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, Kim more than made up for bogeys on holes No. 6 and 8 to go along with pars in the second and fourth holes to finish with a 3-under 33.<\/p>\n
She slowed down a bit in the back nine, however, as she alternated bogeys and pars from the 10th to 13th hole before making a birdie on the 14th. <\/p>\n
Kim finished with three more bogeys but managed to save par on the 17th to wind up with a 4-over 40. <\/p>\n
For the one-day tournament, Kim finished with a 73 gross, but minus her miniscule 1.2 handicap, she came away with the winning score.<\/p>\n
Carl Hocog was runner-up, as the Department of Public Safety officer finished with a 72.8 net built around a gross of 80 and a superior 7.1 handicap.<\/p>\n
Edward Manibusan came in third with a net 73. The former Superior Court presiding judge had a gross of 79 and a handicap of 6.0.<\/p>\n
Despite registering the day\u2019s lowest gross of 72, J.J. Atalig settled only for third place honors after his -1.2 handicap increased his post-handicap score to 73.2.<\/p>\n
Also landing in the money round were Manny Alvarez and former CNMI national golfer George Taguchi, who both finished in fourth place with identical net scores of 73.4.<\/p>\n
Alvarez fired a gross score of 89 and had a handicap of 15.6, while Taguchi shot a 77 and had a handicap of only 3.6.<\/p>\n
Kim took home $700 for her feat, while Hocog pocketed $500 for coming in second. Manibusan was $400 richer for bagging third, while Alvarez and Taguchi got $150 apiece.<\/p>\n
Kim and Taguchi, meanwhile, joined Jung Eun Teack as winners in the closest to the pin competition.<\/p>\n
The 2011 Philippine Independence Day tournament also served as Fil-Taga president Ted Malaran\u2019s swan song as he is set to leave Aqua Resort Club at the end of this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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