A frantic final round that featured a five-way tie for first with seven holes to go ended Sunday when two little guys with lots of ice water in their veins took the 34th annual Hawaii Pearl Open to a playoff.
Jun Won Park, a 25-year-old Korean pro who returned to golf in 2011 after two years in the military, finally subdued 15-year-old amateur John Oda on the second playoff hole at Pearl Country Club.
"We have a lot of junior players with us," said Park, who is here training with a group of 30 Korean golfers. "I play with them a lot. Losing to a junior is not acceptable as a pro."
Both birdied the first playoff hole (370-yard par-4 18th). From 75 yards out, Oda matched Park’s precise approach shot and, after backing off once, drained an 8-foot putt, pumping his fist. Park nervelessly covered him from the same distance.
"As soon as I made my putt I prepared to go back to the tee," Oda said. "I knew Mr. Park would make his. I had to be prepared."
They returned to the 18th tee and both drives rolled into the left rough. Oda’s rolled farther, a lone palm tree allowing him only an "abbreviated" shot to the pin. Again, he stepped away from his shot, stopping on his downswing. Oda walked away, came back quickly and punched the ball out of the deep rough and through the green to the back fringe.
"I would have liked it to stay on the green," Oda said, "but it was OK. I hit it pretty good."
After Park hit his approach to the middle of the green, Oda pitched 10 feet past the hole.
Park missed a 20-foot birdie putt for his first professional win — for the second time in 30 minutes. The putt was almost identical to what he had on the last hole of regulation. But Oda missed his par and Park’s tap-in was worth $11,600.
The money, and two round trip tickets to Japan, were already his after he and Oda both shot 4-under-par 68 — low round of the day — to finish at 7-under 209. Oda was attempting to become just the third amateur to win at Pearl, and the first champion from Hawaii since then-amateur Tadd Fujikawa five years ago. Oda also would have been the youngest Pearl champion.
Park and Oda finished a stroke better than second-round leader Joji Nakamura (72), a Japanese pro also searching for his first win. He eagled the opening hole to press his advantage to three but bogeyed five of the next seven in a back-nine drizzle.
Oda and Park finally broke away at 7 under on the 519-yard, par-5 17th. Oda, who played the back nine in 32, hit his second shot from 125 yards out to 6 feet and sank the eagle putt. Park two-putted from the fringe for his third birdie in four holes.
"I was not thinking about winning," Park said through an interpreter. "That was the key. If you think about winning you probably never have a chance. I didn’t do anything special. I never thought about winning the whole time."
Hawaii’s Nick Mason (71) and 2011 Western Athletic Conference champion Mark Hubbard (72) tied for fourth at 211. Mason, staying home to play the Hilo Invitational in two weeks, finished second here the past two years.
Oda’s runner-up finish was eye-opening, again. The Moanalua High School sophomore reached the final of last summer’s Manoa Cup and won the Sony Open in Hawaii amateur qualifier in December.
"That was just super fun," Oda said of playing in last month’s Sony. "The PGA Tour … the best players are there and they are so good. I learned from all of them. They take it to another level."
That is precisely what he did at Pearl, against an international field of pros and amateurs. He preached keeping his composure all week and insisted Saturday that he wasn’t "worried about winning."
