West, Toyama lead State Amateur; Wie 3 back
By Bill Kwon
Special to The Advertiser
'AIEA — Travis Toyama, the young defending Manoa Cup champion, birdied the last two holes to gain a share of the lead going into today's final round of the Hawai'i State Amateur Stroke Play Championship at the Pearl Country Club.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Toyama's closing birdies at 17 and 18 pulled him at even-par 72 for a 54-hole score of 212. Mark West, who led after the first two rounds, bogeyed the par-4 18th for a 73, also putting him at 4-under 212.
Michelle Wie, shown teeing off at the first hole on the first day of the State Amateur Stroke Play Championship on Thursday, shot a 68 yesterday to close to three shots of the lead entering the final round.
The big news of the third round, though, was provided by 13-year-old Michelle Wie, who shot a career-low 68 from the men's tees measuring 6,787 yards.
Toyama, a University High junior, and Chase Chulakote, a Kailua High School senior also playing in the final threesome, continually outdrove West off the tees.
"I can't keep up with these young guys," said West, 29.
They are grouped together again for today's final round with Chulakote a stroke back at 213.
"They're pretty impressive," said West, who has won the Barbers Point Invitational the past two years.
"Hopefully, I can hit more than four fairways (today)," said Toyama, who scrambled to finish even par despite an errant driver.
Wie had a 67 in winning last year's Hawai'i State Open, playing from the women's tees.
"It could have been a lot better," said Wie, playing in her third State Amateur.
She missed three birdie putts inside seven feet in posting a bogey-free round. Wie chipped in for an eagle from just off the green at the par-5 fifth hole, besides birdieing the seventh and the 17th holes.
The birdie at the 519-yard, par-5 17th even awed her male playing partners, including defending champion Joe Phengsavath. Hitting a 4-wood from 247 yards out, Wie went over the green on her second shot but pitched to 18 inches from the cup for a her birdie.
"She's getting better and better," said Phengsavath, who made five birdies but could only shoot a 71 because of a balky putter. He three-putted the ninth hole and four-putted the 15 for double bogeys.
Jonathan Ota shot a 69 to join Norman-Ganin Asao at 214, while Mitoyuki Kurokawa of Japan tied Wie for the day's low round of 68 to be in a two-way tie for sixth with the Punahou School eighth-grader.
Today's final round starts at 11:05 a.m. with the last threesome scheduled to tee off at 12:15 p.m.
Hawaii State Amateur Stroke Play Championships
At 'Aiea, Hawai'i
Par-72 (36-36), 6,230 yards,
Pearl Country Club
Mark West 67-72-73—212
Travis Toyama 71-69-72—212
Chase Chulakote 70-71-72—213
Norman-Ganin Asao 72-71-71—214
Jonathan Ota 72-73-69—214
Michelle Wie 71-76-68—215
Mitoyuki Kurokawa 74-73-68—215
Paul Kimura 71-71-75—217
Yukio Saiki 72-75-71—218
Joe Phengsavath 70-77-71—218
Kurt Nino 74-72-72—218
Shawn Tanoue 75-71-72—218
Russel K. Ono 73-74-72—219
Wendell Kop 74-72-73—219
Brandan Kop 75-69-75—219
Parker McLachlin 76-71-73—220
Isao Morishita 74-72-74—220
Johnny E. McCray 74-74-73—221
Andrew Llarenas 72-74-75—221
Gabriel Wilson 76-73-73—222
Duane Pavao 72-76-74—222
Armelio W. Cabatingan 77-75-71—223
Bryan Edwards 73-78-72—223
Matthew Kodama 74-74-75—223
Alvin Okada Jr. 76-74-74—224
Hideki Imai 73-76-75—224
Joseph Brewer 74-75-75—224
Del-Marc Fujita 72-80-73—225
Mark Chun 72-76-77—225
Shigeru Kashiwatani 79-69-77—225
John Bascuk 71-80-75—226
Clayton Gomi 74-76-76—226
Ryan Perez 74-78-75—227
Jonathan Mathias 79-72-76—227
Kellen-Floyd Asao 76-73-78—227
Neil Nelson 76-74-77—227
Shannon Sibayan 73-75-79—227
Blaine Kimura 75-76-77—228
Kazuyoshi Takayama 80-70-80—230
Shigeru Matsui 75-77-79—231
Alfred Hollister 76-75-80—231
Michael Aoki 77-73-81—231
