ISLE FILE
Norman-Ganin Asao captures Kona Open
Advertiser Staff
Norman-Ganin Asao of Honolulu birdied the 18th hole to finish with an even-par 72 and win the Kuma Contracting Corp. Kona Open Golf Tournament yesterday at Kona Country Club.
Asao earned his first win as a professional, finishing at 2-under 142, a stroke ahead of professionals Matt Pakkala (74), Regan Lee (72), Ivan Cunningham (71), Jarett Hamamoto (69), David Havens (69) and amateur Garrett Okamura (71).
Playing in his first Kona Open, Asao was 3-over at the turn yesterday, but birdied the 10th and 13th, before drawing even at the 18th. The third-year pro won $4,000.
Okamura, a former Hawai'i-Hilo golfer, won the championship (low-amateur) flight by two strokes over Kealakehe High golfer Henry Park.
Ken Urry of Keauhou, Kona, won the A-flight by two strokes with an 85—159.
MORE GOLF
WATABU IS CO-MEDALIST AT NCAA REGIONAL
University of Nevada golfer Casey Watabu of Lihue, Kaua'i, shot an 8-under-par 64 on Saturday to finish as co-medalist at the NCAA West Regional at the Omni Tucson National course in Tucson, Ariz.
Watabu and the Wolf Pack qualified for the NCAA Championships, May 31 to June 3 at Crosswater Golf Club at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Oregon.
Watabu, a senior, finished the three-round regional at 13-under 203. He moved from 26th (70) the first day to 17th (69) after the second day. He tied Billy Horschel of Florida (66) for first.
It was Watabu's first medalist honor for the Wolf Pack.
"Everything came together," Watabu said in a story at the Wolf Pack Web site. "I hit the ball very well. I made some putts today."
Arizona and Florida tied for first in the West. Nevada finished tied for ninth with Pepperdine to advance to the nationals for the first time since 1990. (The top 10 teams from three regionals advance.)
Loyola Marymount's Chaz Inouye of Wailuku, Maui, shot 71 in all three rounds and finished tied for 38th in the West Regional. He also qualified for the NCAA Championship as the Lions finished tied for sixth.
Inouye, a senior, is a St. Anthony graduate.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
LAMBERT, METZGER LOSE, BUT APPEAR ON 'MARTHA'
Jeff Nygaard and John Hyden defeated top seeds Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger, 21-17, 21-10, in the semifinals yesterday of the Association of Volleyball Professionals' Santa Barbara (Calif.) Open yesterday.
Lambert and Metzger, Punahou School graduates, split $12,000.
Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser defeated Nygaard and Hyden, 21-19, 21-15, in the title match. Rogers and Dalhausser split $25,000.
Lambert and Metzger are scheduled to appear on Martha Stewart's show today. The program airs in Hawai'i at 10 a.m. on KHNL (News8).
