Murota's 67 leads Hawai'i Pearl Open

Advertiser Staff

Defending champion Kiyoshi Murota of Japan picked up right where he left off yesterday in the 2003 Hawai'i Pearl Open at Pearl Country Club.

Murota fired a 5-under-par 67 yesterday to take the first-round lead in the $80,000 tournament, now in its 25th year.

Murota, who also won this tournament in 1997, finished 26th on the Japan Golf Tour Organization money list last year.

Two-time Pearl Open champion Gregory Meyer (1987-88) of Hawai'i and Kazumoto Abe of Japan were one shot back after opening with 68s.

Hawai'i State Amateur champion Joe Phengsavath, 1999 Pearl Open winner Jeff Cook, and Japan pros Tekuya Ogawa and Taeru Shibata were at 69. Pros Ken Tanigawa, Yui Ueda and amateur Shannon Sibayan were at 70.

Punahou eighth-grader Michelle Wie, the only female in the tournament, shot 74 and was tied for 50th place.

Japan's Namio Takasu, 60, who won the inaugural tournament in 1979, and then again in 1984, shot 77 yesterday. Other former champions in the field include six-time champion David Ishii, and a pair of two-time champions, Kevin Hayashi and Lance Suzuki.

Tee off for today's second round starts at 7 a.m. off both the first and 10th tees. The field will be cut for tomorrow's final round.

Tomorrow's winner will receive the $12,000 first prize and two tickets to Japan from Japan Airlines.