Samiere wins, then is delayed by darkness
Punahou senior PJ Samiere made his way deep into the third round Thursday at the 66th U.S. Boys’ Junior Golf Championship. Weather delays and darkness finally slowed him down in Truckee, Calif.
Samiere, playing in just his second USGA event, won his morning match, 2-up, over Wilson Furr. Samiere trailed through the front nine, but took the lead for good with a par at No. 16. The players halved the 17th with pars and Samiere clinched with a birdie on the 18th.
His Round of 16 match was delayed twice because of "dangerous weather." The USGA eventually suspended it because of darkness. Samiere and Nick Heinen, who has committed to Oklahoma State for 2014, were all square through 14 holes. They will continue today.
In other golf news:
» Defending champion David Fink is seven shots off the lead going into today’s final round of the 47th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship, at Capilano Golf & Country Club in West Vancouver, Canada.
Fink, an ‘Iolani graduate now at Oregon State, shot even-par 70 in the third round and has a total of 207. The leader is California’s Tyler Raber (70—200).
Lorens Chan, an ‘Iolani graduate who is a sophomore at UCLA, fired a 73 and is at 214.
» In the 100th Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, a third-round 74 left Hawaii’s Kacie Komoto tied for 26th going into the final round. Komoto’s total of 10-over-par 223 is 15 strokes out of first. Only two golfers are under par at Club de golf Beloeil in Beloeil, Quebec. Kauai’s Kelli Oride (72—227) moved up to 41st.
» Pearl City’s Mariel Galdiano closed with a 1-over-par 72 to finish fourth at the AJGA’s Bob Jones Junior Championship. Galdiano’s 54-hole score was 6-over 216, nine shots behind the winner, Fumie Jo (73—207) from Shanghai. St. Francis senior Hansol Koo (80—221) was sixth, at Yorba Linda (Calif.) Country Club.
Wahine water polo players make grade
Eight Rainbow Wahine earned All-Academic awards from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches.
The ACWPC groups its All-Academic awards into three categories: outstanding (3.71-4.0 GPA), superior (3.70-3.41) and excellent (3.4-3.20). Hawaii’s Amarens Genee, Zoe Respondek and Monique Wilson were in the outstanding category, Mackenzie Edwards and Caity Lopes da Silva in the superior category and Megan Ottoboni, Mady West and Danielle Lewis excellent.
Genee achieved the highest honor for the fourth year in a row. The native of Gorinchem, Netherlands became the program’s first player to earn Academic All-America honors earlier. The team’s second-leading scorer in 2013 was also presented the Elite 89 Award at the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship for holding the highest GPA of any player in the tournament.
Wilson also made the ACWPC academic list for the fourth year in a row.
Girls youth hoops team excels in Oregon
Hawaii Xpress Hoops, a traveling all-star team made up of 17-under girls, went 12-1 on its recent mainland trip to two NCAA-certified tournaments.
The team, coached by Fran Villarmia-Kahawai, finished first in its bracket and second overall in the All-Star Division of the End of the Trail tournament in Oregon. There were 110 teams participating.
At the 16th annual MSNM National Championships in Washington, Hawaii was first in its bracket and among the top three overall. It declined to participate in the playoffs because of injuries.
Team members were Alohi Robins-Hardy (Kamehameha), Mich‘lae Higa (Aiea), Jeneva Toilolo (Farrington), Patria Vaimaona (Kailua), Chanelle Molina and Ihi Victor (Konawaena) and Taufau Williams (Kailua).
