Four of the country’s top five collegiate players and two of the top five teams will be in Hawaii next week for the 23rd annual Amer Ari University of Hawaii-Hilo Invitational. The 54-hole tournament begins Wednesday at Waikoloa Kings’.
Golf Digest just ranked the tournament fifth-toughest of all the spring events. Among the 20 teams at Waikoloa are No. 2 Texas, UCLA (5), Washington (7), USC (8), Georgia Tech (9), Oklahoma State (14) and Stanford (15).
UCLA senior Pontus Widegren and Washington sophomore Cheng-Tsung Pan, ranked 1-2 in the Golfstat Cup standings, will be here. So will Stanford sophomore Patrick Rodgers (7), Washington junior Trevor Simsby (8) and Oklahoma State junior Talor Gooch (9).
The field also includes the University of Hawaii and the Vulcans, who have NCAA Division II’s fourth-ranked player in Corey Kozuma. Hilo is ranked 17th in D-II.
Previous champions include Notah Begay (1995), Matt Kuchar (2000) and Anthony Kim (2005).
The Rainbows host the John A. Burns Intercollegiate, Feb. 20-22 at Turtle Bay.
The Rainbow Wahine have their annual Donnis Thompson Invitational, March 12-13 at Kaneohe Klipper. That is followed by the Anuenue Spring Break Classic, March 25-27 at Kapalua Bay. Golf Digest ranks Anuenue as the ninth-toughest among women’s events.
@Scoreline1:Locals secure Asian Tour cards
Chan Kim, the 2006 Hawaii state high school champion, fired a final-round 65 on Saturday to earn medalist honors at the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage in Hua Hin, Thailand. Kim, who also won the 2007 State Amateur before moving to Arizona, had a 72-hole total of 16-under-par 272.
Two-time NAIA champion Sam Cyr, from Makawao, also earned an Asian Tour card. The 2011 Hawaii State and Mid-Pacific Open champ tied for 11th at 68—278.
Both Hawaii golfers can tee it up in the $300,000 Zaykabar Myanmar Open, which opens the tour’s 10th season Feb. 21.
Last year, Lee Westwood and Louis Oosthuizen both won on the Asian Tour. Kim missed getting his card last year when he closed with a 76 in qualifying. In a story posted on the tour website, Kim said that memory inspired him last week. He currently plays on the Challenge Tour in Europe and plans to do both this year, basing himself in Korea where he can stay with relatives.
Cyr reached the Second Stage of PGA Tour qualifying last year and made 10 of 14 cuts on the Asian Tour, with a ninth-place finish in Taiwan. Hawaii’s Spencer Shishido played on the Asian Development Tour last year.
Park to defend Pearl title
Jun Won Park will defend his title in next week’s 35th Hawaii Pearl Open at Pearl Country Club. Park, a member of the Korean Golf Tour, beat Moanalua sophomore John Oda on the second playoff hole last year.
Oda eagled the 53rd hole of regulation to move into a share of first. He and Park both birdied the first playoff hole before Park’s two-putt par the second time around was good for the win. Oda went on to win the state amateur the next month and the state high school championship in May.
Also among the early commitments are 2011 champ John Ellis, 2010 champ Akinori Tani, from Japan, and Hawaii’s Nick Mason and Parker McLachlin.
The $80,000 tournament draws about half its 176-player field from Japan. It tees off next Friday and finishes next Sunday. Thursday’s Pro-Am will raise funds for "Rainbow for Japan Kids," a project that brings students who suffered in the earthquake and tsunami to Hawaii for physical and emotional recovery.
This year’s event is dedicated to the memory of tournament co-founder Tsugio Ogata. The former president of PCC died last May.
