Long day for seven Hawai'i golfers
By Bill Kwon
Special to The Advertiser
With Ernie Els winning the Mercedes Championships last week on Maui and fellow countryman Retief Goosen sharing the Sony Open in Hawai'i lead after the first round yesterday, the flag of South Africa appears to be firmly entrenched on Hawaiian soil.
"We're keeping the flag flying high at the moment," said Goosen, who along with Kenny Perry, shot a 6-under 64 at the Waialae Country Club.
So how's the Hawai'i state flag doing with seven golfers with local ties in the PGA Tour's first full-field event of the season?
Not exactly flying high, although it's not quite at half-mast yet.
Regan Lee and Makena head professional Kirk Nelson lead the Hawai'i contingent with 3-over-par 73s with Dean Wilson, a 2002 Q-School graduate, at 74.
They've got some serious catching up to do to make the cut after today's second round. Eighty-four golfers fired par-70 or better yesterday and only the low 70 and ties will advance to the weekend.
"I don't feel like I'm out of it. I know I can shoot a good score and I know it's very possible to shoot a good score out here," said Lee, who qualified on Monday to play in his first PGA Tour event.
"We need more par-5s," said Lee, whose only birdies came at the par-5 ninth and 18th holes.
"My driver was in the fairway most of the time, but my iron shots weren't too good today," said Lee, who had five bogeys, though only one came after he found four bunkers firing to the green.
"I have no idea what the cut's going to be," Lee said. "But if I shoot back to even par (140), I'll be happy whether I make the cut or not."
"I think the cut will be 1-under (par), so I've probably got to shoot 5-under. I've done it before," Wilson said. "I won't look at the scoreboard. I know where I'm at. I'm at the bottom."
It just felt that way to Wilson, who had tied for 23rd last year after qualifying on Monday.
"I ran into a lot of problems out there," said Wilson, who made the turn 1-under in playing the back nine first. He then proceeded to bogey six straight holes.
"I can't ever remember doing that. Every one was something different. Bad drive here, bad iron shot there," he said. "It's not the pressure that gets to me. I always put pressure on myself. It's just bad golf. A lot of bad shots, a lot of bad putts."
Playing his first PGA tour event got the 43-year-old Nelson so excited that he said he lost it out there several times.
"On the par-5 (18th) with the Jumbotron, I knocked it on from 256 (yards) out. I got on in two. I'm so excited watching the replay, I three-jack for an easy par."
After getting his first PGA Tour birdie at the par-3 fourth, his 13th hole of the day, to get to even, Nelson promptly went bogey-bogey-bogey.
While it's mission possible for Lee, Nelson and Wilson, it's not the case for the other four local golfers, who brought up the rear on the scoreboard.
Ron Castillo Jr., the Aloha Section PGA's player of the year, shot 78, Kapalua's Doug Bohn 79, and amateurs Joe Phengsavath and Royden Heirakuji shot 76 and 80, respectively.
"You hit a bad drive, you pay the price," said Phengsavath, the two-time state amateur champion who bogeyed seven holes, starting off the back nine.
"I didn't it hit well, that happens. But I like the fact that I didn't get down on myself," said Castillo, who birdied two of his final three holes.
"My game's not at its strongest right now," said Bohn, who only had one day off in the last three weeks because of all of the activity at the Kapalua Resort.
"It's not an excuse. I had time to hit balls," he said. "I just can't execute a swing right now."
Heirakuji, who received a good share of television exposure on ESPN as the once-a-week-golfer who qualified for the tournament, said he enjoyed the experience, if not his round.
"I just tried to stay out of everybody's way," said the 37-year-old Maui amateur. "I can't even imagine trying to be out here with these guys every day. It's just a totally different game."
