Turtle Bay Amateur, Nike Four-Ball event are next on the tee

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Hawaii’s amateurs and pros have big weeks ahead with the ninth annual Turtle Bay Amateur this weekend and the Aloha Section’s Nike Four-Ball Championship starting Monday at Oahu Country Club.

Campbell High School senior Rudy Cabalar is defending his championship at Turtle Bay’s Palmer and Fazio courses. He closed with a 6-under 66 last year to beat Brian Lee by four shots. Cabalar captured the Barbers Point title this year in a playoff over Spencer Shishido.

The list of former Turtle Bay winners also includes Bradley Shigezawa, TJ Kua, and Tadd Fujikawa, who set a tournament record in 2008 with rounds of 69-65.

State high school champion Lorens Chan (‘Iolani) is playing this year, along with 227 others in four flights. Play begins at 7:15 a.m. each day at both courses. Leaders tee off around 9:30 a.m. Sunday on Fazio’s back nine.

There are 25 teams in the 22nd annual Nike Four-Ball, including OCC member Larry Stubblefield and OCC head pro Andrew Feldmann, who won the event seven straight times beginning in 2002. Matt Pakkala and Kevin Carll won in 2009. Last year John Hearn and OCC assistant pro Shane Abe beat Hilo Municipal’s Kevin Hayashi and Lance Taketa in the final.

Abe is playing with OCC and Champions Tour member Dave Eichelberger this year. Feldmann and Stubblefield are also in, along with Hayashi and Taketa, Ron Castillo and Ron Castillo Jr., Mark Chun and Casey Nakama, Regan Lee and Beau Yokomoto, and Futures Tour player Ayaka Kaneko with John Lynch.

The pro-am and qualifier start at 1 p.m. Monday, with the top 16 teams advancing. First- and second-round matches are Tuesday, with semifinals at 7 a.m. Wednesday, followed by the championship at 11:45 a.m.

Ching named WCC player of month

Honolulu’s Alex Ching, a senior at the University of San Diego, was named West Coast Conference Male Golfer of the Month for September after earning top-10 finishes in his first two starts. Ching shared medalist honors at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in his season opener and followed with an eighth-place performance at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational.

Earlier this month, Ching tied for seventh at the Wolf Pack Classic. This week, he took third at The Prestige at PGA West. His last event of the fall season is the Kauai Collegiate Invitational at the end of October at Puakea.

‘Ai on Japan’ fundraiser set for Oct. 22

Acura of Honolulu is partnering with Kids Hurt Too (Healing Young Hearts in Hawaii) and other sponsors for an Oct. 22 fundraiser called “Ai on Japan.” The golf tournament at Ko Olina will be followed by an awards banquet and concert by Kalapana at the new Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa. It will benefit the Kids Heart Project.

The Kids Heart initiative was started by Kids Hurt Too, which has provided services to nearly 1,000 children who have lost one or both parents. The Kid’s Heart mission is to help children affected by the March 11 disaster in Japan, providing them with grief and trauma recovery services.

Sponsorship opportunities range from $150 for a tee sign, $200 for the banquet and concert and $375 for individual entry in the golf tournament and a seat at the banquet and concert, to $3,500 for a sponsorship corporate package.

For information and registration, contact Cynthia White at Kids Hurt Too (256-3176 or kidshurttoo@hawaiiantel.net) or Yumi Adachi at Acura (551-2785 or yumi@pacificbridgehawaii.com).

Notes

» Kapolei 13-year-old Allisen Corpuz tied for 11th at the American Junior Golf Association’s Nike Invitational, which ended Monday in Stillwater, Okla. Corpuz shot 75-76-77 to finish 14 shots out of first. Former Hawaii resident Kyung Kim (77—222) tied for fifth and Alexandra Kaui (74—228) shared 11th with Corpuz.

» Juniors 17 and younger can play Ko Olina Golf Club free after 3 p.m. when they are accompanied by a paying adult. Rental clubs are included, with U.S. Kids sets available in various sizes. The special is good for guests and kamaaina. For information and other specials, call 676-5300 or visit koolinagolf.com.

» Derrick R. Watts is the new golf course superintendent for the Prince Golf Course at Princeville Resort. The course closed in January for renovation and is scheduled to reopen Dec. 14. Watts previously worked at Waikoloa Beach and Hualalai resorts on the Big Island and Kapalua. He is currently board president for the Hawaii Golf Course Superintendent Association.

» Entries are out for the Turtle Bay Resort Hawaii State Open, Dec. 16-18 at the Palmer and Fazio courses. Entry deadline is Dec. 4. Registration is available at aspga.com.