Hilo’s Britney Yada will be inducted into the Portland State Hall of Fame at the Vikings’ Homecoming Weekend in October. The Waiakea graduate joins two NCAA Division II national championship runner-up football teams and five other individuals in this year’s class.
Yada, who golfs on the Symetra Tour, is the Vikings’ only four-time All-Big Sky Conference selection. She won two tournaments in her career, including the 2011 Big Sky Championship, and claimed nearly every school record by the time she graduated in 2013.
“It’s humbling and makes me realize that people are proud of you, no matter what,” Yada said in a PSU press release. “There’s more to life than just golf and I don’t know why it makes me think that, it’s kind of what I’m getting. It’s so special and I don’t really know how to put it into words quite yet.”
Moanalua alum earns spot
Moanalua graduate Shawn Lu, who is defending his title at this weekend’s 55th Oahu Country Club Men’s Invitational, earned a place in the U.S. Amateur Championship on Tuesday in Oregon.
Lu, a rising junior at Oregon State, came in second to claim the final qualifying berth at Eagle Point Golf Club. He had 13 birdies in rounds of 70-65 to finish at 9 under par, three back of the medalist.
The 118th U.S. Amateur is next month at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill in California. Nearly 7,500 entered the USGA championship, which has a field of 312. Spencer Dunaway won Hawaii’s qualifying spot last week.
Lu came back from a five-shot deficit on the final day of last year’s OCC Invitational. This year’s tournament ends today for Mid-Am and senior flights and Saturday afternoon for the open flight.
Other former champions playing this year are Wendell Kop (1986 and ’89), Matt Ma (2011 and ’12) and Jun Ho Won (2016).
Nobuta fourth at Jr. World
Hawaii’s youngest qualifier picked up its highest finish at the IMG Academy Junior World Championships last week in San Diego.
Honolulu’s Honorine Nobuta tied for fourth in the Girls 7-8 division, shooting rounds of 58-62-62 to finish at 11 over par, 10 strokes out of first.
More than 1,200 kids played, from 56 countries and 42 states. Other Top 25 Hawaii finishers were:
Girls: 9-10—T8, Ava Cepeda (72—223), T15 Kate Nakaoka (78—230);11-12—T16, Raya Nakao (75—227), 24, Teal Matsueda 80—232.
Boys: 6-under—6, Blake Nakagawa 62—183.
