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State stroke play champion Lorens Chan and Manoa Cup champion David Fink headline the 12 amateurs who qualified for the Gov. John A. Burns Challenge Cup team.
The tournament matches Hawaii amateurs against Hawaii pros in a team competition. It will be played Nov. 21-22 at Mid-Pacific Country Club. Fink, a sophomore at Oregon, has declined his spot because of NCAA rules.
Amateurs that compete in the Cup are eligible to try to qualify for the amateur exemption into the 2012 Sony Open in Hawaii.
The top point-getters for amateurs, based on designated events, are:
Lorens Chan (1,112.5 points), Kalena Preus (1,065), Matthew Ma (1,057.5), Seungjae Maeng (985), John Oda (752.5), Rudy Cabalar Jr. (725), Brandan Kop (685), Richard Hattori (668.33), Donny Hopoi (667.5), Todd Rego (643.33), Skye Inakoshi (530) and Isaac Jaffurs (496.67).
Fink is 13th on the points list, but automatically qualified as Manoa Cup champ.
Asia Pacific Cup soon
Waikoloa’s Kings’ Course will again be home to the fifth annual Asia Pacific Junior Cup. The international event, with a team format similar to the Ryder and Solheim cups, will be Nov. 17-20.
Japan has won three Cups and Hawaii’s Pacific team just one. Juniors play Four-Ball, Singles and Foursome matches.
Hawaii juniors who have qualified are: Zachary Braunthal (Honolulu), Alex Chiarella (Makawao), Marissa Chow (Honolulu), Jonah Fonacier (Mililani), Mariel Galdiano (Pearl City), Richard Hattori (Honolulu), Skye Inakoshi (Honolulu), Lisa Kang (Honolulu), Eimi Koga (Honolulu), Seungjae Maeng (Honolulu), Margaret Min (Honolulu), Ciera Min (Hilo), Kenji Miyata (Kapaa), John Oda (Honolulu), Kalena Preus (Honolulu) and Pono Tokioka (Lihue).
A Junior-Am will be played after the final matches Nov. 20, with top juniors from both teams teaming with amateurs. It benefits Tsunami Relief in Japan, the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association and Waikoloa Foundation.
To register for the Junior-Am, contact Waikoloa’s Kevin Ginoza at 808-886-5375 or visit HSJGA.org to download an application. The entry deadline is Nov. 14.
Hyundai will charge
After a year of free admission, the PGA Tour will charge to watch its season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions. The 2012 event is Jan. 6-9 at Kapalua’s Plantation Course.
The 72-hole tournament is Friday through Monday. Tickets are on sale now at pgatour.com/Hyundai. Single-day tickets are $15 and a week-long pass is $40.
The 2012 TOC starts with a Thursday pro-am on Jan. 5. Spectators are free that day and juniors 18 and under, accompanied by a ticketed adult, are free all week.
Military (active duty, retired and reserve) and their dependents are also free. Military tickets can be downloaded at birdiesforthebrave.com by clicking on the “Ticketing” link. All military and dependents need to show a valid military ID, along with the downloaded ticket, to get in free.
A new program called Golf for Maui Charities will be launched soon, allowing any 501c3 organization to get the proceeds of its TOC ticket sales. Organizations interested can call the tournament office at 808-665-9160 or 888-665-9160.
Kona Rotary Club benefits
The Rotary Club of Kona received $55,000 from the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai last week. The Champions Tour also donated the $5,000 pro-am purseto the Big Island Junior Golf Association. The money was raised at the January tournament.
The 2012 Mitsubishi Electric Championship will be Jan. 20-22. John Cook is the defending champion.
For information, including participation in the pro-am, call 800-417-2770.
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