Jared Sawada of Mililani, Oahu, fired a 1-under par 71 at the Ocean Course at Hokuala on May 15 to earn the lone qualifying spot for the U.S. Open.
Sawada advances to the sectional stage of the qualifier for the U.S. Open, which will be contested at Shinnecock Hills Golf Course in Southampton, New York, from June 14-17.
Sectional winners qualify for the U.S. Open.
Patrick Murakami fired a 3-over par 75 to fill in as the first alternate with Bill Walbert, ending a stroke back of Murakami at 76, getting the nod as the second alternate.
Remington Hirano of Honolulu claimed the fourth spot in the field of 13 hopefuls with a 77, a stroke better than Kauai’s Pono Tokioka, who finished fifth at 78.
Other finishers included Tome Freestone (81), Cory French (83), Ryan Acosta (83), Tanner Maahs (84), Douglas Sutter (84), Steve Murphy (87), Kenny Altizer Jr. (87), and Chad Dusenberry (89).
“This qualifier will only come to Kauai every three or four years and gives our local guys a good shot at qualifying,” said Matt Rollins, the executive director for the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association. “We will have the U.S. Junior Am and the Girls qualifier at the Wailua Golf Cours on June 20. This makes it a bit of a unique year for golf on Kauai.”
The U.S. Open is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the U.S. State Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
