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Hawaii’s Kevin Hayashi, Stephanie Kono, Britney Yada, Eimi Koga and Bradley Shigezawa are involved in major tour qualifying this week, competing in Arizona, Florida and Japan.
Hayashi reached the final stage of Champions Tour qualifying, which is this week at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona. The Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer needs to finish in the top five Friday to earn playing privileges on next year’s senior tour.
After opening with rounds of 73-71, Hayashi stands tied at 67th.
Among those in the 79-player field are 1996 U.S. Open champ Steve Jones and Japanese star Joe Ozaki.
Kono, a UCLA graduate out of Punahou, and Yada, a Portland State graduate out of Waiakea, are in a field of 157 golfers from all over the world at the LPGA Qualifying Final Stage.
The 90-hole event is cut to the Top 70 and ties after 72 holes. It ends Sunday at LPGA International, Daytona Beach, Fla.
In Wednesday’s opening round, Kono is tied for 79th after shooting 73, while Yada is tied for 35th after shooting 71.
Christine Song and China’s Simin Feng each shot 7-under 65 to share the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.
Song and Feng opened on LPGA International’s Jones Course. South Korea’s Julie Yang was third after a 66 on the Hills Course, and Cydney Clanton had a 67 on the Jones Course.
The Top 20 finishers Sunday earn their cards. Those that finish 21st to 45th get conditional status. Players who finish 72 holes earn status on the Symetra Tour.
There are 83 international players at the qualifier from 26 countries, and 74 from the U.S. Canada’s Lori Kane, winner of the 2001 LPGA Takefuji Classic in Kona, is the oldest player at 50.
Koga, a University of Hawaii junior, got through the third stage of LPGA of Japan qualifying last week. She is now playing the final stage at Murasaki Country Club in Chiba and shot 78-75 the first two days. Koga is tied for 79th.
The Moanalua graduate tied for 41st at the Gifu Prefecture qualifier, firing rounds of 74-73-71. The top 47 from there and top 44 from Ibaraki Prefecture moved on.
Punahou alum Cyd Okino (74-80-84) did not advance from the third stage. She is now eligible for Monday qualifiers on the LPGA of Japan and the developmental tour.
Koga is competing for playing status on both tours and needs to make a final decision this month whether she will stay in Japan to play or return to UH.
Shigezawa, another Punahou grad, plays in the fourth and final stage of Japan Golf Tour Organization qualifying this week. His road began in August and he is competing against some 200 others.
Preliminary rounds in the 108-hole event start today at Cocopa Resort Club. The Top 90 and ties Sunday play the final rounds Monday and Tuesday.
The top 35 get full status on the 2016 JGTO. Golfers are also playing for ranking eligibility on the JGTO Challenge tour.
Ching earns first PGA Top 10
Hawaii’s Alex Ching earned his first Top 10 on the PGA Tour China Series Sunday, tying for ninth in the Hainan Open.
Huilin Zhang shot 67 — the final day’s best round — to win at Dragon Valley Golf Club in Sanya. He finished at 5-under par to beat Tian Yuan and Order of Merit leader Bryden MacPherson by two. They were the only golfers to break par as wind blasted players from the opening round.
Ching had rounds of 76-71-71-73 to finish at 3 over. St. Anthony graduate Taeksoo (T.K.) Kim missed the cut, but is 20th on the Order of Merit. Ching is 61st.
The season ends this week with the Capital Airline-HNA Real Estate Championship.
Associated Press contributed to this report
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