Chip Shots

Ishii qualifies for Pacific Links field

David Ishii will play in the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship for the second time in as many years after qualifying Monday at Kapolei Golf Club.

Ishii, Bob Niger and R.W. Eaks all fired 2-under-par 70s to share medalist honors. Doug Garwood and Ronnie Black also qualified with 71s. They beat out two others on the second playoff hole.

Hawaii’s Kevin Hayashi (76), Casey Nakama (77), Kirk Nelson (79) and Andrew Feldmann (82) did not qualify, along with eight others.

The $1.8 million Champions Tour event tees off Friday, with Ishii starting off the 10th tee at 8:30 a.m. The 1990 Hawaiian Open champ struggled with a bad back at this event last year, but finished the tournament at 228.

Ishii, 58, plays on the Japan senior tour now, after winning 14 times on the Japan PGA. His foundation is the sponsor of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association golf championships.

Hawaii trails at USGA State Team Championships

Hawaii is 14th heading into today’s final round of the 10th U.S. Golf Association Women’s State Team Championship at Kettering, Ohio.

‘Iolani junior Rose Huang leads the Hawaii team after rounds of 75-72. She is tied for 10th individually, 13 shots behind leader Alice Chen (New Jersey). Kapolei’s Aneka Seumanutafa (83-78), the youngest competitor at 12, is tied for 49th. Punahou sophomore Aiko Leong (89-80) is tied for 88th.

Hawaii’s team total is 21-over-par 313. New Jersey (151-146) and Florida (146-151) share the lead at 297.

Only three players are under par at NCR Country Club. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have teams. Hawaii’s has the youngest average age (15).

Nam tops at tournament at Ka’anapali

Malia Nam, an eighth-grader at St. John Vianney, won the Girls title at last weekend’s Ka’anapali Golf Courses HSJGA Match Play Championship. Nam, 13, edged Kaci Masuda, 2 and 1, after ousting top seeded Kristin Le in the second round.

Tyler Munetake captured the Boys 15-18 championship with a 6-and-5 win over Ariel Elftman-Hanson. Munetake, from Wailuku, was seeded second. Elftman-Hanson upset top-seeded Andrew Chin in a semifinal.

Remington Hirano went the full 18 holes to win the Boys 13-14 title, holding off Justin Arcano, 2-up. Hirano was seeded first and Arcano second.

Okino part of record romp in Japan

Hawaii’s Cyd Okino was part of a record performance by Washington last week in Tanagura, Japan.

Okino and her Huskies teammates cruised to a tournament-record 50-shot victory at the Topy Cup. They shot a three-day total of 840 to defeat runner-up Oregon State and three Japanese universities. UW broke the school’s 54-hole record by 10 shots.

Washington was led by Charlotte Thomas (69–209), who earned medalist honors by one stroke over teammate SooBin Kim. Washington captured the top four places and Okino, a junior, took ninth at 219. Her final-round 71 was the only time her team used her score.

Jakovac rallies for title at Hoakalei

Hoakalei assistant pro Jason Jakovac won the inaugural First Tee Pro-Am last week at Hoakalei Country Club. Jakovac birdied two of the last three holes to shoot 79 and beat out 27 other pros for the $7,000 prize.

Stephen Zane was second, followed by Niel Cabico and Faitala Sofa.

Jakovac assists with the First Tee program on Oahu, which is sending Punahou junior Colin Laszlo to the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. The Champions Tour event is next weekend in California. Laszlo joins 80 other First Tee participants from around the country.

 LOCAL ACES