Maekawa just short at PGA Pre-Qualifying
Paauilo’s Sean Maekawa came up two shots short and Honolulu’s Alex Ching was eight shots off in the PGA Tour’s Pre-Qualifying event last week at La Quinta, Calif. Both are former state high school champions.
Maekawa, a Honokaa graduate who played for Oregon, shot rounds of 72-78-72 for a 222 total. He finished in a tie for 44th. The top 39 and ties advanced to the first stage of qualifying.
Ching, a Punahou graduate who played for San Diego, shot 76-77-75—228 at PGA West’s Greg Norman Course. First stage events begin Oct. 16.
Alina Ching comes through for Pepperdine
Punahou graduate Alina Ching helped Pepperdine win the Golfweek Conference Challenge Wednesday in Vail, Colo.
Junior Grace Na tied for second, with Ching fourth and Somin Lee fifth. Ching closed with a 70 for a three-day total of 3-under-par 213.
PU freshman Marissa Chow, an ‘Iolani graduate, shot 73—223 in her college debut and tied for 23rd. Two-time state high champ Kristina Merkel (76—232), a Tulsa senior, tied for 52nd.
In other college golf, two-time state high school champion Lorens Chan, a UCLA freshman, earned a place on the travel team for the first tournament. The ‘Iolani graduate shot a final-round 71 Tuesday in the Ping/GolfWeek Preview at Alpharetta, Ga. He moved up 10 slots to 43rd, at 9-over-par 219. Fourth-ranked UCLA finished fifth.
Hawaii golfers to play at Pinehurst
Nine Hawaii golfers qualified to play at Pinehurst after finishing top three at last weekend’s Ka‘anapali Golf Courses BMW Ultimate Golf Challenge.
Flight winners were Mark Sperling, with 74 points in A flight; Chris Millen, with 74 points in B, and Georgia Vouloumanos, with 78 points in the ladies.
Jaye Gray, who won the national championship last year at Pinehurst, tied for second with Bev Kim among the women, with 72 points.
The other men who move on to Pinehurst are David Fugate (71) and Milton Martin (69) in A flight and Mel Komatsu (72) and Reed Anderson-Teshima (70) in B. Komatsu and Sperling played Pinehurst last year.
