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Defending champion Grace Na and two Hawaii golfers helped No. 15 Pepperdine run away with the team title in the third annual Anuenue Spring Break Classic at The Bay Course in Kapalua, Maui, on Wednesday.
Na won the individual title with a tournament-record 11-under 205 after her final round of 69. UC Davis’ Betty Chen took second at 71–213 (3-under).
Sophomore Marissa Chow (‘Iolani ’12) and junior Alina Ching (Punahou ’11) contributed to the Waves’ victory. Pepperdine shot 870 to win by nine shots over Washington, which was represented by Eimi Koga (Moanalua ’13).
Chow shot 76–222 to tie for 11th and Ching 74–225 to tie for 16th. They were Pepperdine’s third- and fourth-best scorers in the tournament. Koga, a freshman, was Washington’s fifth-best scorer and shot 78–234 to tie for 55th.
The University of Hawaii finished 12th in the 15-team field with a final round of 309–924.
UH freshman Izzy Leung was UH’s top finisher, tying for 26th at 77–228. Kelli-Anne Katsuda shot 78–233 (tied for 48th) and Nichole Cruz shot 75–239 (tied for 69th), while Raquel Ek and Brianna Becker tied for 55th at 234. Maui native Liana Otake, one of three UH golfers competing as individuals, shot a final-round 78–237 (tied for 62nd). Daezsa Tomas shot 77–237 (tied for 62nd) and Charlee Kapiioho-Sagum shot 80–245 (tied for 81st ).
U.S. Open qualifiers start in May
Four months of Hawaii U.S. Golf Association qualifiers begin May 10, with 18-hole U.S. Open local qualifiers at King Kamehameha on Maui and Hoakalei on Oahu.
Two days later, a 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open sectional returns to Waialae Country Club. At least one woman at Waialae will play in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open. Last year, freshman state high school champion Mariel Galdiano earned a spot in her second Open.
Registration is open online at USGA.org. The deadline to register for the U.S. Open is April 23. The U.S. Women’s Open deadline is April 30.
The USGA conducts 111 local qualifiers for the U.S. Open annually around the U.S., and two outside the U.S. Top qualifiers from each local advance to one of eleven 36-hole Sectional Qualifiers, where at least one golfer will qualify to play in the U.S. Open.
This year’s Open is June 12-15 at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. The U.S. Women’s Open is on the same course, June 19-22. For more information, visit USGA.org or send an email to hsjgaoffice@gmail.com.
Fujikawa ranks 14th on eGolf tour money list
Hawaii’s Tadd Fujikawa ended up tied for seventh in last week’s NorthStone Open, a $97,000 stop on the eGolf Professional Tour.
Fujikawa shot rounds of 73-69-71 for a total of 3-under-par 213 in North Carolina. He won $3,160 and is now 14th on the money list, with $6,810 in three starts. Adam Webb collected the $13,500 first prize with a 54-hole score of 208.
Around the greens
>> Oregon State senior David Fink, a 2009 ‘Iolani grad, bounced back from two shaky rounds to shoot a 1-under 71 on Tuesday to finish in a tie for 15th place at 5 over and help the Beavers win the Duck Invitational. University of the Pacific sophomore SeungJae Maeng (Moanalua ’12) finished in a tie for 72nd place at 19 over.
>> Paul Ito is the new director of golf operations at Kauai Lagoons Golf Club. Ito was Puakea’s director of golf from 2004 to ’10.
>> Puakea Golf Course will offer four sessions of this year’s Junior Summer Golf Academy. The dates are June 2-13 and 16-27, and June 30-July 22 and July 14-18. Each session runs from 8 a.m. to noon. The cost is $50 per child. Two sessions are $90 and four sessions are $160. If an attendee participates in the first three sessions, the fourth is free. For more information, or to register for the academy, call (866) 773-5554.
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