Fil-Am golfer hits hole-in-one, wins over P1M

Saipan, CNMI — What seemed to be a bad day turned out to be a lucky one for Filipino-American golfer Ralph Yumul. Yumul hit a hole-in-one in the 9th Annual HANMI Charity Golf Classic played over the weekend in this US-territory located in the Pacific to win the $25,000 (P1,117,000) prize money that goes with it. Yumul, a son of a Filipino engineer, who came to work on Saipan in the early 70s, was among the 147 golfers who joined the HANMI fundraiser. HANMI is the Hotel Association of Northern Mariana Islands. He woke up late on Saturday morning but arrived at the Laolao Bay Golf Resort, located in the northern portion of the island, a few minutes before the 7 a .m. tee time. Then with more than 100 golfers scheduled to play on the Greg Norman-designed west course, it took him and other players longer than usual to move from one hole to another. Yumul, whose family owned a hardware and a department store on Saipan, teed off at the fourth hole to start the round and only saved par on the 374-yard No.4. Next up was the longer par-5 No. 5 where he double-bogeyed. He had another double-bogey in the par-4, 404-yard No. 6, before hitting the money ball. The 14-year veteran then walked to the tee box for the next hole and nonchalantly made a swing, using a 5-iron Tour Stage Z101 and hit the Titlist Pro V1X ball right inside the cup. “I was starting to feel the heat, so I just wanted to hit the ball, proceed to the next hole, and finish the tournament before getting exhausted because of the very high temperature that day," Yumul said. “I did not even follow the ball because there is no way you will see it once it lands on the greens because the No. 7 hole is uphill," he added. The par-3 No. 7 hole is a short one, having a distance of 180 yards from the tee box. But it is also one of the most treacherous ones, as the green is in between two bunkers and headwind on the long iron is required. “The next thing I knew, people watching the hole were jumping and celebrating. They said the ball bounced once, a few inches away from the hole and then rolled in. I guessed I was just a lucky man," Yumul said. Luck and a golf buddy’s wishful thinking made Yumul the biggest winner of the tournament and only the second hole-in-one winner of the annual event. A Japanese also made a hole-in-one during the 2005 edition of the HANMI Golf Classic. Carl Hocog, a local policeman here and regularly plays with Yumul, posted a message on his Facebook account and told his friend, there will be a celebration on hole No. 7. Incidentally, Yumul also sank his first hole-in-one on No. 7 hole at the Coral Ocean Point, the longest course on Saipan at 7,105 yard and designed by PGA champion Larry Nelson. “It happened nine or eight years ago in a regular practice round with my friends. I did not even think it will happen again and I will win a prize, a big one," said Yumul, adding he will use the money for his business. Next up for Yumul is the 2010 Tournament of Champions, which is a premier golf competition on Saipan, as it will feature some Korean and Japanese pros and several golfers from Guam. He is also trying out for a slot on the CNMI Team that will compete in the 2011 Pacific Games in New Caledonia. Yumul was entered in the A flight of the HANMI Golf Classic and finished only 15th among the more than 20 players after shooting a 15-over par 87. “I lost my focus after I made the hole-in-one. I just wanted to finish the round, go home, and dress up for the awards banquet," Yumul said. – Roselyn Monroyo, GMANews.TV