Hawaii Hilo climbed over the competition on a difficult final day to tie for second at the NCAA Division II West/South Central Regional last week and earn a place at the national championship.

"They surprised me," coach Earl Tamiya said of his players. "We were stronger mentally than the rest of the teams. We didn’t play super, we played decent, but everybody else played worse. The conditions were tough, the wind was up and the pins were tucked in unbelievable places. … It was amazing we were moving up and everybody else was moving down."

Seniors Chris Shimomura and Corey Kozuma took third and fourth to pull the Vulcans into a tie with Chico State at 894 (300-285-299) — six shots back of St. Edward’s. The regional was played at Grey Rock Golf Club in Austin, Texas.

The national championship starts Monday at The Meadows Golf Course in Allendale, Mich. Hilo took fifth in its 2005 NCAA championship appearance, with All-American Nick Mason finishing second.

The team leaves Thursday night and, with finals this week, Tamiya did not hold an organized practice. His team started the season with three goals — win the PacWest and make the regionals and nationals.

"We don’t have a fourth goal, like win the nationals," Tamiya said. "We are just going to wing it and hope for the best."

Kono ties for 14th in Symetra Tour event

Honolulu’s Stephanie Kono tied for 14th at last weekend’s Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic, a Symetra Tour event in Greenwood, S.C.

Wei-Ling Hsu won the $200,000 tournament with a 72-hole score of 280. Kono shot 291 and collected $3,010. That pushed her Symetra career earnings over $18,000, in her second season.

Shayna Miyajima, Nicole Sakamoto, Anna Jang and Corie Hou missed the cut. All five Hawaii golfers are in the field for the Friends of Mission Charity Classic, which starts Friday in Asheville, N.C.

Rego, Shimomura win PGA assistants’ 4-Ball title

Todd Rego won his first event since turning pro, capturing the Aloha Section PGA’s Assistants’ 4-Ball Team Championship Friday with Ko Olina’s Kevin Shimomura at Honolulu Country Club.

Rego, a former teacher who now works as a pro at Pearl Country Club, shared the $1,400 first prize with Shimomura, who was a past champion. They shot rounds of 64-68 to beat John Bascuk and Samuel Rodriguez III (70—133) by one and the teams of Jason Jakovac/Ryan Acosta (71—134) and Brandon Nahale/Mark Chun (71—134) by two.

Chip shots

» University of Hawaii freshman Izzy Leung earned All-Big West honorable mention. The freshman from Hong Kong led the team in all nine tournaments this season and finished her rookie season with a 75.7 scoring average and seven top 25 finishes.

GOLF BULLETIN BOARD

» Entry deadline for the annual Okinawan Golf Tournament has been extended until Wednesday. The event is May 24-25 at Pali. It is open to all members and guests of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association and affiliated Okinawan clubs. For more information, call Neal Takara at 291-9672.

» The second annual Hawaii Xpress Hoops Golf Tournament is June 19 at Pearl Country Club. The event raises money for the basketball club, formed by Aiea High School’s Rodney Cavaco and Fran Villarmia-Kahawai, to travel to the End of the Oregon Trail tournament in July. The format is a three-person scramble and the cost is $150 a player. For more information, call 542-3726.

» The 35th annual Mid-Pacific Institute Alumni Association Scholarship Golf Tournament will be held June 12 at Leilehua Golf Course. The format is a three-person scramble and the cost is $200 a player ($125 tax deductible). For information, contact Kerry Wheeler at (808) 951-8856 or alumni@midpac.edu.

» Registration opens June 4 for the 58th annual Waialae Women’s Invitational, July 14-15 at the club. Entrants must be amateurs and have a USGA handicap index of 24.9 or better, and be 18 or older. The entry fee is $200 for the two-day tournament, cart and awards luncheon. The field is limited to 128. For more information, contact call Shera Hiam at 224-3830.

LOCAL ACES

Golf courses can email aces to sports@staradvertiser.com or fax to 529-4787.