Former Hawaii state high school champion Alex Ching placed second in last week’s TVP Americas Championship, a $90,000 tournament played in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Ching opened with a 6-under-par 67, then shot 73 the last two days to end up two shots behind Chris Ward. Chase Barnes and Ryan O’Rear tied for third at 214 to give Americans the top four spots in the international field of 59 players.
Ching won $10,000 and returns to the PGA Tour’s China Series next month.
Galdiano tied for tenth at Rolex Tournament
Hawaii’s Mariel Galdiano tied for 10th in last week’s Rolex Tournament of Champions at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Ore.
The Punahou senior, who has won three Hawaii state high school championships, was five back going into the final day of the junior major. After opening with rounds of 72-71-70, Galdiano closed with a 78 to finish 17 back of champion Hannah O’Sullivan from Arizona.
O’Sullivan, heading to USC, broke the 72-hole tournament record at 14-under-par 274. O’Sullivan won a Symetra Tour event in February, becoming the youngest winner in tour history.
Boys champion Philip Barbaree, from Louisiana, broke the 72-hole American Junior Golf Association scoring and tournament record with 24-under-par 264.
The Rolex TOC is one of the two longest-running AJGA events. Past champions include Inbee Park, Morgan Pressel, Webb Simpson and three-time victor Phil Mickelson.
Trio to represent Hawaii at USGA Championship
OIA champion Malia Nam, Jennifer Koga and Annika Espino earned the right to represent Hawaii at the 11th USGA Women’s State Team Championship Sept. 10-12 in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Nam shot 75 to collect medalist honors. Koga was one back and Espino fired 79.
Stephanie Koza (80) is first alternate and Claire Choi (81) second alternate.
Hara edges Suppa at U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier
Kyosuke Hara will represent Hawaii at the U.S. Junior Amateur later this month in Bluffton, S.C., while Mari Nishiura earned medalist honors in the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur qualifier.
Hara, a Moanalua senior, shot rounds of 71-68 last week at The Club at Kukui’ula on Kauai. His 139 total was a shot better than Kyle Suppa (72-68), who is first alternate, and two ahead of Moanalua teammate Shawn Lu (70-71).
The girls played one qualifying round and got three qualifying spots. Nishiura, a Mililani senior, shot 4-under 68. She was followed by Kaiser sophomore Malia Nam (72) and Jennifer Koga (73), who doesn’t graduate until 2020.
Koga beat ‘Iolani grad Rose Huang in a playoff for the final spot. Huang, headed to Brigham Young on a golf scholarship, is first alternate. Allysha Mae Mateo is second alternate.
The U.S. Girls Junior Amateur Championship is July 20-25 in Tulsa, Okla.
