Nakamura vaults into Pearl Open lead with 9 birdies

Joji Nakamura knocked down a bunch of back-nine pins Saturday to grab the lead in the 34th annual Hawaii Pearl Open.

The 26-year-old pro from Okinawa pulled ahead with a 7-under-par 65. At 6-under 138, he is one shot ahead of Denver pro Mark Hubbard (68), who just graduated from San Jose State.

Hawaii’s Nick Mason (70) and Dong Seop Maeng (69) are two back going into today’s final round at Pearl Country Club. Maeng, 24, is here training with a group of 30 Korean pros at Ko Olina.

Jun Won Park (70), another from that group — and one of 21 "Parks" on the Korean Tour, is three back with Moanalua sophomore John Oda (70) and first-round co-leader Norihiku Furusho (74).

Mason, a Leilehua and Hawaii-Hilo alum, qualified for the Sony Open in Hawaii last month and has been second here the past two years. Another runner-up finish, or another missed putt inside 6 feet, might make him crazy on a windy PCC course that fits his game perfectly. In two days, he has missed just three greens in regulation, but …

"It’s hard to admit this because my score is pretty decent," Mason said, "but I’m fighting the yips with the putter. I’ve been hitting it so good.

"It’s so frustrating to hit it like that and not get your score, but putting is part of the game, so there is no excuse. … It’s all mental. But my ball-striking has come so far. I’m hitting it so good. If you’re hitting these fairways at Pearl, you can hit any of them. That’s why my score is so good."

Oda (70), also fresh off a Sony appearance, is low amateur. The first two days he played with two Japan pros and Nick Taylor, who was the top-ranked amateur in the world and the college player of the year in 2010. Oda is ahead of all three, but spoke only about what he got by watching their "composure."

"I want to be like that …," Oda said. "Honestly, I’m not worried about winning tomorrow. I’ll just have a good time, play some golf."

Nakamura drained six birdie putts in playing the back nine in 30 on Saturday and, to hear him tell it through an interpreter, all were "inside the pin," or about 8 feet.

"I didn’t realize how many birdies I had," Nakamura grinned, "until after I finished."

He had nine for the day, more than making up for a triple bogey in Friday’s first round and bogeys on two of his first three holes Saturday, which left him at 3 over for the tournament.

Hiroyuki Naito, a golf pro/writer/blogger in Japan, had a share of the lead after a first-round 67. He was even par for the tournament by the time he made the turn Saturday and rallied to remain there, gratefully giving much of the credit to his cart partner — tournament host and six-time Pearl champion David Ishii.

When it was over, Naito, who has played here all 12 years of his pro career, got an autograph from Ishii on his PCC visor.

Only 12 golfers are under par after two days. To gauge the impact of the wind, Nakamura needs to shoot 59 today to tie the tournament record of 19-under 197. That mark is shared by Arizona pro Jesse Mueller, who won in 2009, and Japan pro Katsumasa Miyamoto (1998).

Mueller got caught in the four-club wind Friday afternoon and fired a 76. He rallied with a 70 Saturday morning and is tied for 24th at 146 with, among others, Hawaii’s Tommy Kim (69).

Hawaii pro Spencer Shishido is alone in eighth at 72—142, a shot ahead of former state high school champions Rudy Cabalar Jr. (2010), now a Campbell senior, and Honokaa’s Sean Maekawa (2007). Maekawa graduated from Oregon in December and turned pro.

There are 33 golfers within eight shots of Nakamura, who has not won since turning pro four years ago.