The U.S. Golf Association has accepted a record 1,296 entries for the 2010 U.S. Women's Open. The opening twosome in Hawai'i's Sectional Qualifier will be made up of Punahou sixth-grader Allisen Corpuz and Liselotte Neumann, the 1988 U.S. Women's Open champion from Sweden.

Corpuz is the reigning Hawai'i State Women's Golf Association Match Play champion, and was runner-up at last year's Jennie K. She and Neumann go out at 7 a.m. on May 30 at Hoakalei Country Club. There are 20 players in the Hawai'i sectional and at least one will advance to the Open, to be played July 8 to 11 at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.

Others in the field include state high school champions Cassy Isagawa, Anna Jang and Kristina Merkle. Cyd Okino, who qualified for the 2008 Open, is also playing.

Honolulu's Michelle Wie is among the 68 golfers already exempt for the Open. Six spots are reserved for anyone who is not already fully exempt who wins an official LPGA Tour event through the weekend prior to the start of the Open. The remainder of the field will be filled via sectional qualifying, which will be played at 20 sites.

Entry deadlines for future USGA events are coming up. The U.S. Amateur Public Links deadline is May 26, followed by deadlines for the U.S. Junior and Junior Girls (June 2) and the U.S. Women's Amateur (June 30).

Go to USGA.org to register and call 532-0559 or e-mail hsjgaoffice@gmail.com for information.

SEKI ADVANCES

Punahou graduate Jim Seki, the 1998 state high school champion, earned medalist honors at Sunday's U.S. Open Local Qualifier at Hoakalei Country Club. Seki shot 3-under-par 69 in gusts up to 35 mph.

Seki advances to sectionals along with Michael Fan, of Pearl City, who shot 76. Fan shared second with Alika Bell and advanced when Bell declined a spot. University of Hawai'i junior Kamden Brakel, from California, is the first alternate after shooting 78.

The next 18-hole local qualifying tournament here is Saturday at Wailua Municipal on Kaua'i. More are scheduled for the King Kamehameha course on Maui Sunday and Waikoloa Kings on the Big Island Monday. They are four of approximately 100 to be held around the United States. Top players from each local qualifier advance to one of 13 36-hole sectional qualifiers.

This year's U.S. Open Championship is June 17 to 20 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California. Approximately 90 total qualifying spots will be awarded through the sectionals to fill the championship field of 156 players.

BROWN FOUR-BALL

Defending champions Jared Sawada and Ryan Kuroiwa lost Sunday in the opening round of the 59th Francis Hyde I'i Brown Four-Ball Match Play Championship at Ala Wai.

Justin Kurihara and Jino Sohn defeated Sawada and Kuroiwa, 1-up. The 16th-seeded team will play eighth-seeded Phil Anamizu and Lenn Sakata in a quarterfinal Saturday, beginning at 8:10 a.m.

The second- and third-seeded teams — John Oda and Donny Hopoi and Seung Jae Maeng and Tyler Ota — advanced. All eight matches in Championship Flight went at least 17 holes.

The semifinals and final will be played Sunday.

In other Hawai'i State Golf Association news, the 2010 State Senior Amateur Championship will be back at Kāne'ohe Klipper this year (July 9 and 10). The first round, on a Friday, will have a noon shotgun start. The Saturday final round will begin at 11:30 a.m.

NOTES

Saturday is the entry deadline for the 40th annual Hawai'i United Okinawa Association Invitational. The tournament will be May 29 and 30 at Pali Municipal. It is open to all members and guests of the Hawai'i United Okinawa Association and affiliated Okinawan clubs. There are Championship, A, B, Women, Seniors, Super Seniors and Guest (women and men) flights. Entry fee is $125. For more information, contact the association at 676-5400 or Wes Teruya at 228-8696.

Michael Patrick Shiels will be a guest on Emily T Gail Talks Golf and Other Sports Sunday at 6 p.m. on ESPN Radio AM850 Hilo/AM790 Kona and www.espnhawaii.com. Shiels is the author of "Secrets of the Great Golf Course Architects," "Golf's Short Game for Dummies," "Don't Tell 'em Where I Am," "Good Bounces and Bad Lies: The Autobiography of Ben Wright" and collaborated on "Crown My Dad and Me" with Larry King.

Entry deadline to apply for the 2009-2010 Monte Ito Memorial Scholarship Award is May 21. The $1,500 scholarship is sponsored by The Honolulu Advertiser and run by the David S. Ishii Foundation. The scholarship will be awarded to a Hawai'i high school senior or a college student from Hawai'i who best illustrates a "passion for journalism and golf" in an essay. Applications are available through high school journalism programs or by calling Arnold Hiura (256-7193) or Bill Bachran (523-7888). Forms are also at the Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association (www.hsjga.org) and Ishii Foundation (www.davidsishiifoundation.org) websites.

A charity golf tournament to support Kahiau: A Tennis Foundation, is scheduled for July 23 at Hawai'i Prince Golf Club. Proceeds support junior tennis in Hawai'i. Format is three-person scramble and cost is $450 per team. Call 585-9526 for more information.