Kono leads women's stroke play
Advertiser Staff
Punahou seventh-grader Stephanie Kono shot a 1-under-par 71 yesterday at Mid-Pacific Country Club to take the first-round lead in the Hawai'i State Women's Golf Association Stroke Play Championship.
Kono was the only one in the 28-player field to break par. She leads college sophomores Merynn Ito and Rachel Kyono, the 2000 champion, by two shots. Junior golfers Britney Choy and Mari Chun are three back. They are followed by Bev Kim (75), the 1972 champion; Bobbi Kokx (76), the reigning match play champion, and 1999 match play champion Mahina Ah Yuen (77).
Last year Kono became the youngest winner of the HSWGA Match Play Championship.
Players tee off from 9:15 to 9:50 this morning. The final round will be tomorrow.
AT&T STROKE PLAY
• Castillo up three: Hapuna Golf Course head pro Ron Castillo Jr. extended his advantage to three shots going into today's final round of the Aloha Section PGA 2002 AT&T Stroke Play Championship.
Castillo shot a 2-over-par 74 yesterday at Mauna Kea. His two-day total is 1-over 145. Kapalua's Steven Sanchez (73-148) is next, followed by Pearl's Beau Yokomoto (75-149) and Kapalua's Doug Bohn (74-149).
Castillo finished third last year, behind Kevin Hayashi and Kevin Carll. Castillo's father, Ron Sr., has won this event twice.
Larry Stubblefield, the defending Senior Division champion, takes a two-shot lead into the final round. Stubblefield shot 76 and is at 148, with Kiahuna's Ron Kia'aina (74-150) second and Turtle Bay's Dennis Rose (75-151) third.
Kia'aina, Rose, Rodney Acia (74-152) and Steven Hookano (77-153) are the section's qualifiers for the 2002 PGA Senior Club Professional Championship. The $235,000 tournament will be Oct. 17-20 at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
GATEWAY TOUR
• Lee six back: Hawai'i's Regan Lee is tied for fifth going into today's final round of the Gateway Tour's ninth event. Lee followed an opening-round 66 with a bogey-free 68 yesterday at Grayhawk Golf Course in Phoenix.
His two-day total of 10-under 134 is six behind leader Chris Ming (65-128), who is four shots ahead of his closest competitor.
Lee has earned more than $21,000 on the mini-tour, making the last six cuts since a trip home to win the Rainbow Mililani Open. He finished second the next week and was sixth last week.
