KAHUKU — David Ishii said he enjoyed his first Champions Tour event. He only regrets not having more opportunities to play on the tour.

Getting in on a sponsor's exemption, Ishii shot his second-straight par 72 to finish with a 1-over-par 217 and in a six-way tie for 29th in the Turtle Bay Championship yesterday.

That earned Ishii $11,100 while having fun at the Palmer Course.

"That was nice for Matt (Hall) and Turtle Bay to think of me and let me play in my first year as a senior," Ishii said about the exemption he received from the host resort and its director of golf.

Even during the days of the Hawaiian Open, which he won in 1990, Ishii almost always had to qualify his way into a PGA event.

"I thought David played great, played real solid all three days," Hall said. "He's got the ability to play out here. I see nothing short of good things for him, whether it's here in the U.S. or Japan."

Hall thought that the showing by Ishii and Japan's Kiyoshi Murota, recipients of Turtle Bay's two exemptions this week, "was the best we've had."

Murota, a two-time winner of the Hawai'i Pearl Open, finished at 214 after opening with a 3-under 69. He tied for 17th place for a $20,575 payday.

Ishii had a chance of shooting even par for the week, but his drive at the downwind par-5 18th, which he birdied the first two rounds, hit a tree and left him no chance for another 4.

He punched out, but had 178 yards to the green, which is guarded by a lake.

"I went with one less club (an 8-iron). Luckily, it was enough to carry. Still, I almost went over the green. Lucky I made par," said Ishii, who two-putted from 45 feet.

Ishii, who played the front nine over par all three rounds, bogeyed the 10th hole to go 2-over for the day. He birdied the two par-3s on the back nine to get back to even.

"I hit two good shots there," Ishii said about his pair of deuces. He hit a 5-iron at 13 to 12 feet, and a 6-iron at 15 to 15 feet.

Still, he was disappointed about the ones that got away.

"I had my chances," said Ishii, who missed a 4-foot par putt at 10, another 4-footer for birdie at 12 and a 12-foot birdie attempt at 14. "That one (at 14) went right over the hole and stayed there on the lip."

Ishii, director of golf at the Pearl Country Club, will return to Japan in March to play on the senior tour there.

He plans on trying to qualify locally for the U.S. Senior Open in Hutchinson, Kan., in July and perhaps try to qualify on a Monday for another Champions event.

"That's about it. The rest I'll play in Japan and hopefully I get better to play in the (national) qualifying at the end of the year," he said.

Ishii feels his game wasn't quite ready at the Champions Tour's National Qualifying Tournament in November when he failed to earn his playing card.

Mumps-like symptoms left him less than 100 percent several weeks before the Q-School.

"I felt OK but I wasn't that strong. I wasn't hitting the ball too well at that time." Ishii said. "I'm hitting the ball better now, so I think that helps."

His showing this week certainly proved to be a confidence booster toward that end.

"I hit the ball decent enough. I've just got to get the putts in the hole," Ishii said.