Air Force Academy has Island flavor at tourney

By Bill Kwon

Who says you can't go home again? The University of Hawai'i-Hilo might be the host and UH-Manoa can claim that it's truly the "home" team of the 26 schools in the Taylor Made/Waikoloa Intercollegiate Tournament, but it's the Air Force Academy that may have the home advantage.

Jarett Hamamoto captured the boys state golf title last year as a senior at Waiakea High School. Advertiser library photo • May 15, 2002

Representing the Falcons are senior Landon Chang, sophomore Kala'e Leong and freshman Jarett Hamamoto. Chang and Hamamoto are really returning to their roots. Both are graduates of Waiakea High School in Hilo.

Leong is a 2001 graduate of Kamehameha Schools.

"They're great kids," said Air Force coach George Koury.

"Landon's in his fourth year now and has been a contributor every year. He's also a recruiter for us, too," Koury said.

Hamamoto is already the Falcons' No. 2 player in his first year.

Leong got his first varsity start in yesterday's opening round at Waikoloa's Beach Course. The other half of the field played at the Kings' Course and the golfers will shift sites today with everyone playing the Kings' Course in the final round.

The best four of five individual scores each day will count in the team competition, with the final round scheduled for tomorrow.

The Air Force's local trio, and teammates Adam Wasinger and Brandon Daum, will be hard pressed to compete in the team and individual competition.

CHANG

LEONG

Fresno State's Nick Watney is rated No. 3 nationally among the individual players in the field, while Stanford senior Jim Seki, a former Punahou School standout and defending Pac-10 individual champion is 11th. Also in the field are TCU's Adam Rubinson and David Schultz and Georgia Tech's Troy Matteson and Nicholas Thompson and Washington's Brock McKenzie, all ranked in the top 25.

Just making the trip back home is already a bonus for Chang, Leong and Hamamoto as the Air Force is making its first visit to the Waikoloa event since 1999.

For Chang, who led Waiakea to state team championships in 1998 and 1999, it's a nice way to close out his senior year before he goes into pilot training.

"I always wanted to fly," said Chang, who got his academy appointment from the late Congresswoman Patsy Mink.

For Leong, it's the first chance for his parents, Joel and Lisa Leong, to see him play collegiate golf after years of watching him in junior golf and high school.

"It's really a thrill," said Chang, who got his Air Force appointment from U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka.

For Hamamoto, another Mink appointee, he never thought he would be back so soon teeing it up on the Big Island after winning the 2001 and 2002 state boys' individual championships in his junior and senior years at Waiakea High.

It shouldn't have been such a surprise. It's not mere coincidence that the Falcons were invited. UH-Hilo coach Earl Tamiya, who organized the event 13 years ago, knew that Air Force would be a natural choice for an invitation with three local lads on the team.

Hamamoto hopes he's not back just for sentimental reasons. He hopes to begin the spring portion of the collegiate golf season on a better note than the fall.

"I didn't play as well as I wanted to," Hamamoto said about his fall start, "but at least I got to travel with the team."

"He had a wonderful career in high school in Hawai'i and he's doing well for us," said Koury, adding that freshmen always find it tough at the academy.

"It's difficult to juggle military, academics and athletics," Koury said.

Hamamoto agreed.

"It's pretty tough. I'm tired all the time."

A typical day for him is a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call followed by exercises, breakfast at 7 and classes from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The entire academy of some 4,000 cadets eat lunch together, then Hamamoto has practice from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. before dinner.

"We stay up as late as we need to doing homework, and then you wake up and do it all over again the next day," Hamamoto said.

As a senior, Chang has his routine pretty much down.

"At first, it was tough to juggle school and golf, but I learned to manage my time. Now I can go to sleep early — around 11 at night instead of 3 or 4 in the morning."

During the golf season, he and his teammates usually get to play 36 holes on Saturdays at the Eisenhower Blue and Silver courses, located on the Colorado Springs, Colo., campus.

According to Koury, the Eisenhower Blue is the No. 1 military course in the country, and is usually rated among the top three in the state.

Still, there's no place like Hawai'i, says Leong, whose first round of golf in cold weather found him bundled with extra clothing .

"I couldn't feel my hands, it was so numb."

For the Air Force Three, this week on the Big Island is a real treat.

• More local ties: Playing for Nevada is sophomore Casey Watabu, a former Kaua'i High School golf standout.

Helping the Nagoya University of Commerce with the rules this week and in next week's John Burns Intercollegiate Tournament hosted by UH-Manoa at Leilehua is Creighton Aotani, former Mid-Pacific Institute and University of San Diego golfer.

Aotani is now is his ninth year in Japan where he's a rules official with the Japan Golf Tour Organization.

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.