Sawada wins first Mid-Pacific Open title

Jared Sawada had a surprise waiting for him as he approached Mid-Pacific Country Club’s 18th green on Sunday.

Sawada hadn’t kept tabs on his standing in the final round of the 59th Mid-Pacific Open until he lined up his approach shot on the closing hole.

“I had no idea until I looked at the scoreboard on the 18th hole in the fairway,” Sawada said. “I looked at the scoreboard and I’m thinking, ‘We’re all tied, cool.’ ”

Sawada remained focused on the moment throughout a comeback on the back nine and went into the tournament’s 72nd hole tied atop the leaderboard with playing partners TJ Kua and Damian Telles at 12 under par.

Telles dropped back with a bogey and Sawada and Kua went to a playoff for the second time in less than a year.

Playing No. 18 for a second time, Sawada’s approach from 118 yards out settled 3 feet from the pin to set up a clinching birdie to capture his first Mid-Pacific Open title.

“I had a lot of playoffs last year and lost them all,” Sawada said. “So it’s really nice to make a birdie.”

Sawada posted six birdies in a round of 2-under-par 70 and Kua signed for a 72. Telles’ closing bogey left him at 73 and one shot out of the playoff at 11-under 277 overall.

Both Sawada and Kua were three shots behind Telles with six holes left and all three were tied at 12 under by the time they reached the 17th tee.

“I didn’t even know what I was shooting,” Sawada said. “I just tried to do my own thing and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be and if not that’s all right. I think if you focus on all that stuff, too many distractions. … Stayed focused, tried to grind, tried to stay relaxed.”

Sawada said his heart rate did jump a bit when he saw the scoreboard on No. 18. Telles pulled his drive into the trees to the left of the fairway. Then his approach clipped a branch and fell back into the fairway and he settled for bogey.

Sawada got up and down from the rough to save par and remain tied with Kua.

The former University of Hawaii teammates were tied after regulation in the Pearl Invitational last June and Kua won with an eagle on the first playoff hole. Sawada was one shot better this time to send him to the Mackenzie Tour in Canada this summer with momentum and a $14,000 winner’s check.

Sawada earned his first check of the year when he made the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January and tied for 12th at the PGA Tour Canada Q-School in March to earn a spot in the season’s first four events.

In both tournaments, he followed solid starts with over-par rounds and focused on finishing strong this week.

“My only goal was to shoot under par for the next two days,” said Sawada, who was 10 under after two rounds. “That was my main focus, just try to get some red numbers on the weekend.”

Telles, a pro from Oregon whose father was raised in Waipahu, will play in the PGA Tour Canada Q-School event next week. He moved into the lead on Sunday with three birdies in his first five holes.

Kua was plodding along three shots back until he rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-3 14th. The gap closed to one when Telles bogeyed and Kua caught him with a par on No. 15.

“I told (caddie Travis Toyama) it’s a whole new day now,” Kua said. “Just tried to sneak a birdie in before we finished and just couldn’t. Couldn’t hit it close, couldn’t give myself a real look at it.”

Sawada joined them at 12 under on the par-5 16th when his shot out of a green-side bunker stopped 3 feet from the hole to set up a birdie. All three parred No. 17 and Sawada’s wedge from the fairway on the playoff hole all but decided the title.

“It was magical,” he said.

Tyler Ota finished seventh overall and led the amateurs in the championship flight at 2 under, four shots ahead of Mid-Pacific Institute senior Zackary Kaneshiro.

David Ishii, a three-time Mid-Pacific Open champion, won the senior professional division at 1 under.

Rusty Santiago won the A-flight, David Lee claimed the B-flight and Doug Banks won senior amateur honors.