‘Iolani senior Lorens Chan fired Wednesday’s low round to move into third place at the halfway point of the 36th Junior PGA Championship in Indiana.

Chan shot a 5-under 67. His 142 total is seven shots behind leader Zachary Wright, a high school senior from Phoenix.

Baldwin graduate Cassy Isagawa, attempting to defend the title she won last year, is tied for eighth in the girls’ division. She shot 2-over 74 and is 10 shots out of first at 147.

Allisen Corpuz, 13, is tied for 13th at 71—149. State high school champ Eimi Koga (76—154) is 24th.

At the Big “I” National Championship in Madison, Miss., Makawao’s Alex Chiarella opened with an 80 Monday but rallied to make the cut with a second-round 70. He shot 74 Wednesday and is tied for 22nd going into today’s final round.

Players from Japan shine

Last week’s Pearl Junior Open, an Oahu Junior Golf Association major, included 15 players from Japan.

Three came from Hochi Shimbun, an all-sports newspaper that sponsors a junior golf program with Japanese pro Ryo Ishikawa. The Japan Junior Golf Tour also brought 12 players.

Three of the winners came from Japan. Koki Domeki (13-14) and Ryoya Aihara (10-under) won their boys’ divisions. Both are from the Japan Junior Golf Tour. Sumirei Noda, from Hochi Shimbun, captured the Girls 11-12 division.

In May, Fukuoka’s Eri Joma won the Jennie K. Wilson Invitational — the first Hawaii women’s major of the year. Joma turned 18 the next month and is planning to take the professional test after she graduates from high school in March. She played the Japan LPGA’s Suntory Open in June, missing the cut.

Fink ties for second

‘Iolani graduate David Fink tied for second at Monday’s U.S. Amateur qualifier in Creswell, Ore. The site had two players advancing but Fink, who won the last two Manoa Cups, parred the second playoff hole and lost to Tyler Falk’s birdie.

Fink is first alternate. He shot rounds of 76-70 to finish four shots behind medalist Robbie Ziegler. There were 38 trying to qualify.

Kamehameha sophomore Donny Hopoi earned the Hawaii slot July 18 at Kapolei, winning a playoff with Punahou graduate Bradley Shigezawa.

Former Manoa Cup champ Alex Ching, a Punahou graduate in his final year at University of San Diego, earned a U.S. Amateur exemption as one of the Top 50 in the World Amateur Ranking. Ching was 68th at last week’s 53rd Porter Cup in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Wednesday, Ching shot 71 at the 109th Western Amateur in Illinois to pull into 29th place. Golfers play 36 holes today and the top 16 advance to match play.

This year’s U.S. Amateur Championship is Aug. 22-28 at Erin Hills, in Erin, Wis.

The U.S. Women’s Amateur starts Monday at Rhode Island Country Club. Kristina Merkle, a Tulsa junior out of Moanalua High School, and Sarah Ababa, from the Philippines, won the Hawaii qualifier last month at Waikoloa Kings’. Hawaii’s Mariel Galdiano and Stephanie Kono earned exemptions by qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open.

The Golf Channel will broadcast two hours of Women’s Amateur coverage daily, beginning with Wednesday’s first round of match play and ending with Saturday’s final.

Next year’s U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifier in Hawaii is tentatively scheduled in May at Waialae Country Club.

OCC women’s event returns

After a one-year break, the Oahu Country Club Women’s Invitational returns Sept. 6 and 7. Format is again Stableford, with net bogeys worth one point, net pars worth two and net birdies three.

The tournament is limited to the first 96 to enter. Entry fee is $175. Play begins at 7:30 each morning.

The OCC tournament returned with its new format in 2009. Winners were Lisa Okazaki (low gross) and Jaye Gray (low net).

Call OCC head pro Andrew Feldmann (595-3256, ext. 2) for more information.

NOTES

» Saturday’s Turtle Bay Golf Fest and Tournament raised $1,600 for the Kahuku High School golf teams. Funds help with travel, equipment and uniforms. The event included a Demo Day with Taylor Made, Titleist, Callaway, Nike, Oakley, Dawgs, Ahead, and Pure Grips, and free lessons from Turtle Bay’s PGA Professional staff. It concluded with an 18-hole tournament at the Fazio Course, won by the team of Keith Nakamura, Patsy Yamasaki and Kathy Mizusawa.

» Registration is still open for the BMW Ultimate Golf Challenge, Aug. 20 at Royal Ka‘anapali on Maui. Winners qualify for the BMW National Cup at Pinehurst this fall. Online registration can be found at bit.ly/kaanapalibmw or contact Melissa Ludwig at 808-357-7248 or mludwig@kaanapaligolfcourses.com.

» Kamaaina who join the Turtle Bay Golf Plus program can receive reduced green fees and invitations to monthly tournaments on both the Palmer and Fazio courses. Membership is $75 and includes a free round, $25 gift card to the Golf Shop, 2011 GHIN Membership and yearlong special rates. Visit TurtleBayGolf.com and click on Golf Plus or call 293-8574 for more information.