Sawada up front in Challenge Cup

Jared Sawada leads the amateur standings for the Gov. John A. Burns Challenge Cup by more than 500 points heading into next month’s Turtle Bay Amateur, the final event that counts.

The top 12 amateurs eligible after Turtle Bay make up the amateur team that takes on a professional team in the Ryder Cup-style Burns Cup, held in November at the Mid-Pacific Country Club. Those 12 also play off in December for the lone amateur slot in the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Sawada has 1,711.67 points and cannot be passed. He is automatically in anyway as the Manoa Cup champ.

Moanalua senior John Oda, fifth in the point standings (835), earned the other automatic slot by winning the State Amateur. He and Sawada shared low amateur honors at the final Hawaii Pearl Open.

Richard Hattori is second in the point standings with 1,192.5. He reached the Manoa Cup final in May, then won the Kauai Invitational and Barbers Point.

Punahou sophomore Kyle Suppa (925) is third and Tyler Ota (896.5) fourth. Moanalua sophomore Kyosuke Hara (727.5), who won last weekend’s Mayor’s Cup, is sixth. Todd Rego, Shawn Lu, PJ Samiere, Matthew Ma, Kalena Preus and Alika Bell make up the rest of the top 12.

Preus and Bell are now in college so won’t be eligible.

The winner at Turtle Bay gets 200 points and the runner-up 175. The top 15 get points, with 15th place worth 10.

Fan low amateur in Colorado

Pearl City’s Brittany Fan earned low amateur honors at last week’s 19th annual HeathONE Colorado Women’s Open at Green Valley Ranch in Denver.

Fan fired a 3-under-par 69 in the final round to finish 20th overall at 217. The winner was Denver’s Becca Huffer, who shot 209 and beat Emilie Burger on the first playoff hole. Huffer won $11,000.

Fan, who was home-schooled, opened with consecutive rounds of 74. She has commited to the University of Colorado next fall.

Three-time Hawaii State Open champion Katie Kempter, who played for the University of Denver, finished second in the Pro-Am, playing with Green Valley owner Pat Hamill. Kempter, from Albuquerque, N.M., tied for 15th in the tournament.

Former Rainbow Wahine Corie Hou (72—218), from Australia, shared 22nd and collected $608. Hilo’s Kimberly Kim (76223) was 38th.

LOCAL ACES