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Punahou’s Condry takes Jennie K. lead

In her last golf tournament, Hee Sue Condry and her Punahou teammates overcame 35-mph winds and every other team to win their fifth straight state high school championship.

Yesterday in Lanikai, Condry steadied herself and her game in ideal conditions at Mid-Pacific Country Club. She shot a second-round 74 to take a one-stroke lead into today’s final round of the 61st annual Jennie K. Wilson Invitational.

Condry is at 3-over-par 147. Punahou seventh-grader Allisen Corpuz also shot 74 and has a share of second with first-round leader Eri Joma (76), a high school junior from Fukuoka, Japan.

Joma and Akane Saeki, a freshman at the same Fukuoka high school, won tickets to the Jennie K. by finishing 1-2 at a major Japanese junior event. Saeki has a share of fourth with high school champion Eimi Koga, a Moanalua sophomore. Both shot 77 and are at 153.

Maryknoll seventh-grader Mariel Galdiano had the low round of the day, firing a 73 to bolt into sixth, another shot back. Galdiano nearly won the Hawaii State Women’s Stroke Play Championship at Mid-Pac last summer.

Corpuz has come close to winning the Jennie K. — the first major on the Hawaii women’s golf calendar — the past two years, finishing second at age 11 and 12 (she turned 13 in March).

"Last year I messed up the second round, and the year before it was those last five holes." Corpuz said. "So hopefully tomorrow I can play a solid round."

She will have to catch Condry today to get to the next level.

The Punahou senior played with precision until the final green yesterday, when her first putt got away and she three-putted for bogey — something that happens often on Mid-Pacific’s slick greens. She four-putted in a scrambling first round Friday, when she salvaged a 73 despite hitting just half the greens in regulation.

"I was just trying to find a rhythm today," said Condry, who took fifth here last year. "Every time I started to think about scoring I tried to avoid it. I thought of the ocean and how nice this place is, anything but the score."

Corpuz also three-putted the last hole, after draining long par putts on the previous two holes.

Joma sank a 7-foot birdie putt for a two-shot swing on the last green. It made up for a double bogey that struck immediately after she made the turn, and dropped her out of first place.

A college coach followed the final groups around yesterday, checking out Hawaii’s talent. The only player in the top 10 who is not a junior golfer is Boise State’s Hayley Young. Condry is in her final year, and it serves as inspiration.

"I loved high school golf," she said. "Every high school season was great. Our team was amazing. We got along so well. Of course we had our ‘girl moments,’ but being part of a team is so rare in golf. Your teammates support you and you support them back.

"Now my high school career is done and this is one of the last times I can play this tournament unless I come home early from college."

Mid-Pacific member Mira Han (84–164) leads the A flight and Lisa Lee and Corie Lee-Hasselman share first in the B flight, at 84–170. Tina Cole (89–180) is first in the C flight, Son Adachi (93–189) in D and Kym Londahl (94–195) in E.

Leaders in the championship flight go out at 9:15 a.m. today.

 

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