Samiere tied for 14th at Publinx golf

Reigning Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion PJ Samiere opened with a 1-under-par 69 Monday to lead Hawaii’s contingent at the U.S. Amateur Public Links in Lorton, Va.

Samiere is tied for 14th after the first round of qualifying at Laurel Hill Golf Club. The top 64 after today’s second round advance to match play.

State Amateur Stroke Play champion John Oda and Kapaa’s Ken Miyata are among 18 golfers who shot 72 and are tied for 50th. Maui’s Alex Chiarella is another shot back and tied for 68th.

Others from Hawaii are Taeksoo Kim (74), Dalen Yamauchi (75) and Chris Igawa (76).

Shigezawa cards 67 in U.S. Amateur qualifier

Bradley Shigezawa shot a 5-under 67 on Monday to take the lead at Kapolei Golf Course going into Wednesday’s second round of the 36-hole U.S. Amateur Championship qualifier.

Brent Grant is one shot back at 68. Andrew Chin is in third place two shots back, while Richard Hattori, a winner in the past two tournaments he entered, is fourth at 72.

The golfers are competing for one spot in the U.S. Amateur, to be held Aug. 12-18 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.

Sawada has 3-shot lead at Waialae

Hawaii-Hilo junior Kristen Sawada set the pace in Monday’s first round of the 57th annual Waialae Women’s Invitational. The tournament ends today at Waialae Country Club.

Sawada, a 2011 Mililani graduate, shot a 1-over-par 73. She is three ahead of two-time defending champion Kimberly Tom.

The overall net leader is Jeannie Pak, at 66, with Lily Yao one shot back.

Baxter defends Pailolo channel title

Maui’s Connor Baxter successfully defended his Maui2Molokai Standup Paddleboard Race title Saturday, finishing the 27-mile course across the Pailolo Channel in three hours, nine minutes.

His time in the unlimited board class was 14 minutes off the record he set last year. Australia’s Travis Grant was second and Dave Kissane third in the event that began at Honolua Bay and finished at Kaunakakai Harbor.

Maui’s Zane Schweitzer led the 14-foot board class, followed by Australia’s Paul Jackson and Oahu’s Andrew Logreco.

Miyashiro, U.S. head to FIVB Grand Prix

The U.S. men’s national volleyball team, with brothers Kawika and Erik Shoji starting, concluded World League pool play at 4-6 last weekend and failed to advance to the final round. But the U.S. women, with Tamari Miyashiro at libero, swept their matches in the USA Volleyball Cup and are 8-0 heading into next month’s FIVB World Grand Prix.

The premier women’s international event starts for Team USA in Brazil, against Russia, Poland and Brazil.

Saturday in California, the U.S. defeated Japan 25-15, 25-19, 21-25, 23-25, 15-10, with Miyashiro collecting 11 digs. The Kalani graduate also had a 74 positive reception percentage in 23 serve receptions.

The U.S. is ranked No. 1 in the world in Karch Kiraly’s first season as head coach. Hilo’s Reed Sunahara is his assistant.

The World Grand Prix has three consecutive preliminary weekends. The top five teams plus Japan advance to the final round, Aug. 28-Sept. 1 in Sapporo.

The U.S. men ended World League play with a 25-21, 26-24, 25-23 loss to Brazil Sunday in Rio de Janeiro. The Americans had 33 team errors, including 19 service errors. Kawika Shoji, an ‘Iolani graduate, started at setter and had one solo block in the first set. Erik Shoji, Rainbow Wahine coach Dave Shoji’s youngest child, started at libero throughout World League. He had five digs in the final match.

Ma-Spiker win Night Doubles title

Rong Ma and Jared Spiker won the Oahu Club Men’s Night Doubles championship Saturday and moved into first place in the point standings.

Ma, a former Brigham Young-Hawaii player, and Spiker, a senior at Hawaii, defeated Ikaika Jobe and Michael Wojnarowicz 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to capture the second leg of the USTA Hawaii Pacific Section Triple Crown. With 21 points, they are now one ahead of Jobe/Wojnarowicz and six up on defending triple crown champions Mikael Maatta and Jan Axel Tribler.

The final leg of the triple crown begins Sunday as qualifying opens at the Kailua Racquet Club Blue Moon Men’s Night Doubles. The main draw starts the following Sunday and the final is Aug. 3. Maatta and Tribler are defending champions.

The winning triple crown teams earn a wild-card berth into the doubles main draw of next year’s Royal Lahaina Challenger.

Barry offering goalkeepers clinics

Former ‘Iolani boys and current Husson University men’s soccer coach Bob Barry is holding two six-week programs to help prepare goalkeepers and coaches for the high school and club seasons.

The goalkeeper program is divided into 9-11 and 12-18 age groups, and will be held Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 7 through Oct. 13 at Waiau Field in Pearl City. Participants can choose either Saturday or Sunday sessions, which run from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The cost is $150.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America Goalkeeping Level 1 Diploma course is scheduled for Saturdays, Sept. 7 through Oct. 12, also at Waiau Field. The $50 program runs from 11 a.m. until noon and includes lecture and field sessions.

For information, contact Barry at 265-4249 or barryr003@hawaii.rr.com.

State jiu jitsu championships set

The Hawaii state championship for Brazilian jiu jitsu is scheduled for July 27 at Pearl City High School gym.

The second leg of the Hawaii Triple Crown offers seven belts in the open division. Registration is $80 for adults and $60 for youth through July 21, with an additional $10 charged for entries through July 24.

Weigh-ins begin at 8:30 a.m. For more information, contact Romolo Barros @barroshawaii@hotmail.com.