Britney Yada and Stephanie Kono navigated safely through the LPGA Qualifying School’s Stage II, last week in Venice, Fla.
The top 80 and ties at Plantation Golf and Country Club advanced to the final stage. The medalist was 17-year-old Nelly Korda, at 4-under-par 284. All 195 who finished Stage II earned status on the Symetra Tour for 2016.
Yada, a Waiakea and Portland State graduate, tied for 36th at 74–298. Kono, who played a year on the LPGA Tour and graduated from Punahou and UCLA, earned a share of 45th at 76–299.
A total of 85 golfers advanced with scores of 303 and better. The LPGA Qualifying Tournament is Dec. 2-6. Players who finish in the top 20 there earn their LPGA Tour cards, while players who finish 21 through 45 earn conditional status.
Hawaii’s Nicole Sakamoto (75–308) and Kristina Merkle (77–311) qualified for Symetra Tour.
Pros hope to rebound
Dean Wilson, TJ Kua and Bradley Shigezawa will try to help the 12-man professional team end its skid at the 43rd annual Gov. John A. Burns Challenge Cup.
The amateur team has won the past eight Cups, closing its deficit in the series to 23-18-1.
This year’s tournament will be Nov. 16-17 at Mid-Pacific Country Club. The 12 amateurs, who qualified by earning points in designated events over the past year, play again Nov. 23 at Waialae Country Club with the winner that day earning a spot in next January’s Sony Open in Hawaii.
The amateur team is captained by 1994 U.S. Public Links Amateur champion Guy Yamamoto. His team includes Manoa Cup champions Tyler Ota, Matthew Ma and Brandan Kop, along with high school players Kyle Suppa and Andrew Chin (Punahou), and Kyosuke Hara, Shawn Lu and Jun Ho Won (Moanalua).
Oahu Country Club’s Andrew Feldmann captains the professional team, which also features Aloha Section PGA players Garrett Okamoto and Kevin Carll, who have played in recent Sony Opens, and former Manoa Cup champ Nainoa Calip.
Four-Ball Match Play opens the tournament at 7:15 a.m. Nov. 16, with alternate-shot Foursomes in the afternoon. Twelve singles matches will decide the Cup Nov. 17.
Hawaii golfers miss cut
All the Hawaii golfers in the Web.com Tour Q-School Second Stage last week failed to advance.
At Murrieta, Calif., two-time Manoa Cup champion David Fink (74–302) tied for 45th in a field of 73. The top 23 moved on. Maui’s Sam Cyr (76–304) was 53rd.
In Garland, Texas, Moanalua graduate Tadd Fujikawa (73–293) finished 54th. The top 23 and ties advanced, out of 72.
Finally, Haiku’s Justin Keiley (73–295) tied for 60th at Dayton, Nev. The top 24 and ties advanced. Kyle Nomura (75–287), playing out of Honolulu, was 35th.
Sign me up
Amateurs can still sign up for the Asia Pacific Junior Cup Junior/Amateur tournament, Nov. 7 at Waikoloa Kings’ Course. The fundraiser opens the ninth annual Cup, a three-day team event that brings together the top 16 junior golfers from Japan and Hawaii.
To register for the Junior/Am call the HSJGA at 808-532-0559. For more information, contact Tournament Director Karen Murray Boston at 480-495-5593.
