Top three seeds reach match play semifinals

Advertiser Staff

Four of the top five seeds advanced to the semifinals of the Hawai'i State Women's Golf Association Match Play Championship yesterday at O'ahu Country Club.

Second-seeded Bobbi Kokx, a Maui school teacher, defeated Jung Sook Tsubota, 7 and 5, in one quarterfinal. Kokx, who coached the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine from 1995-'97, will play Pepperdine sophomore Rachel Kyono this morning. Kyono, the third seed from Kaua'i, knocked off Ku'ulei Ka'ae, 4 and 3.

Three-time champion and top seed Bev Kim will play Kathy Tsukada, who started playing tournament golf last year, in the other semifinal. Kim defeated Sanae Vierra, 5 and 4, while the fifth-seeded Tsukada ousted fourth seed Desiree Ting, 3 and 1. Ting was a finalist last year.

Matches begin at 8 a.m. today. Tomorrow's final is scheduled to start at 7 a.m.

• Lee moves up: Hawai'i's Regan Lee made his first cut on the Gateway Tour yesterday and is tied for fifth going into today's final round.

Lee, who won the Mid-Pacific and Mililani Rainbow opens this year, shot 4-under-par 68 the first two rounds. He had seven birdies yesterday at Kierland Golf Course. The final round will be played at Grayhawk Golf Course.

All Gateway events are played in the Phoenix area. This is the fourth stop on the mini-tour.

The leaders are Kyle Blackman and Michael Walton at 132.