State Open field has plenty of contenders

• Prince Resorts Hawai'i State Open

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

A year ago, Florida's Tom Eubank helped sponsor the Prince Resorts Hawai'i State Open and became the first player from outside Hawai'i to win it.

This year, Eubank is sponsoring the Aloha Section PGA Player of the Year Award. He won't win that, but he's back to defend his State Open title at Hapuna Golf Course beginning tomorrow. The Oakley Pro-Am is today.

Eubank is surrounded by most of Hawai'i's finest players in championship flight.

All but one of the top 10 pros on the Player of the Year list is competing. Beau Yokomoto is first with 685 points going into this final event. Kevin Hayashi, who had captured three straight State Opens before Eubank won last year, is 20 points back. Kevin Carll (575) and John Lynch (540) are within 150 points.

For the first time, the section's Player of the Year will get more than an exemption into the Sony Open in Hawai'i. Eubank's Tour Golf, Inc., a scorecard and yardage book business, will give the winner $1,000. The next four players share another $1,500. The same is true for the Senior Player of the Year Award.

Nine are in the Open's Women's Flight this year, including pros Julie Brooks, Summerset Lovett and Julie Miyagi. Amateurs include Stephanie Kono, Desiree Ting, Amanda Wilson and 12-year-old Kimberly Kim.

There are 26 players in Senior Flight, including the top three in Senior Player of the Year points — Larry Stubblefield, Mike Iyoki and Rodney Acia.

Dave Eichelberger, a member of the Champions Tour, is playing in Championship flight. Hayashi, who teaches at Mauna Kea and Hapuna, says Eichelberger has a good shot at winning along with a few others, including Yokomoto, David Ishii, John Lynch and Hapuna's Jay Taise.

"You never know what to expect on this golf course because of the wind and it's so easy to lose balls," Hayashi says. "At some courses, when you play you know you're going to shoot within a certain number. At Hapuna, you don't know if you'll shoot in the 60s or the 80s."

Hayashi characterizes Hapuna as "a challenging course that negates power." The course record is 64. He has shot anywhere from 66 to 84.

There will be a cut after Saturday's second round. The leaders go out at 9:30 Sunday morning.

The State Open traditionally closes Hawai'i's tournament season. It was launched in 1974 as a revival of the original Hawaiian Open, which became a PGA Tour stop in 1965 at Waialae Country Club. The Hawaiian Open started in the 1920s to determine the best golfer in the state.

As part of the revival in 1974, the Ted Makalena perpetual trophy was established. Makalena was the first Hawai'i resident to win a PGA Tour event — the 1966 Hawaiian Open. Ishii won the same event in 1990.

The women's division was added in 1977. In 1993, the tournament was taken over by the Aloha Section PGA. For nine of the past 10 years, it has been played at the Prince Properties of Mauna Kea Resort (Mauna Kea and Hapuna), Hawai'i Prince Golf Club and Makena Resort.

Prince will be the title sponsor for the next three years. Next year's Open will be Nov. 19 to 21 on O'ahu.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8043.

Prince Resorts Hawai'i State Open

Tomorrow-Sunday

At Hapuna Golf Course

Friday's First-Round Pairings and Tee Times

First Tee

7 a.m.—Faitala Sofa, Kyle Hayashi, Bryce Iwasaki. 7:10—Kirk Smith, Ryoichi Ogawa, Steven Bolibol. 7:20—Wally Iwasaki, Don McClintock, Peter Rice. 7:30—Glenn Bellows, Ken Bieschke, William Hunt. 7:40—Rodney Acia, Larry Stubblefield, Rick Jetter. 7:50—Phil Anamizu, Mark Mattice, Norman Guenther. 8—Clif Council, Kimo Greene, Barney Sheffield. 8:10—Mike Iyoki, Charles Park, Daniel Nishimoto. 8:20—Dean Prince, George Newbeck, James Olsen. 8:30—Ken Springer, Galvin Fujii, Herman Manalili. 11:30—Gregg Baker, Hee Beom Kim, Kevin Shimomura. 11:40—Tim Herek, Tim Newbolt, Michael Escueta. 11:50—Ben Hongo, Abe Mariano, Shaun Sato. Noon—Scotty Kaneko, Norman-Ganin Asao. 12:10—Dean Dorothy, Del-Marc Fujita, Randy Shibuya. 12:20—Tom Eubank, Jonathan Ota, David Eichelberger. 12:30—David Ishii, Lance Suzuki, Sean Maekawa. 12:40—Jeff Ferry, Wade Nishimoto, Chris Hinojosa. 12:50—Lee Hardy, Stan Souza, Dane Ayers. 1—Marc Smith, Jay Taise, Kellan Anderson.

Tenth Tee

7 a.m.—Glenn Tamagawa, Marcus Sapp, Clive Kegel. 7:10—Rohn Stark, Louie Lee, David Maddox. 7:20—Kris Moe, Duane Pacheco, Jack Kelley. 7:30—Dana Jetter, Olivier Saquet, Troy Higashiyama. 7:40—Andrew Feldmann, Kirk Nelson, Robert Mora. 7:50—Suwat Assawamatiyanont, Jehu Fuller, Loi Stroman. 8—Brad Bowen, Gary Kong, Damien Miller. 8:10—Julie Brooks, Stephanie Kono, Desiree Ting. 8:20—Summerset Lovett, Ayaka Kaneko, Christine Kim. 8:30—Julie Miyagi, Kimberly Kim, Amanda Wilson. 11:30—Tracey Gibo, Paul Kimura, Daryl Inaba. 11:40—Matt Hall, Mark Morrison, Sean Ogawa. 11:50—Shane Hoshino, Tommy Kim, Joshua Colvert. Noon—Kevin Carll, Kellen-Floyd Asao, Ed Tischler. 12:10—Phil Chun, Chase Chulakote, Casey Nakama. 12:20—Lance Taketa, John Lynch, Devin Sasai. 12:30—Kitt Felte, Brian Sasada, Joe Olvey. 12:40—Kevin Hayashi, Casey Paulson, Rob Gittelman. 12:50—Jerry Mullen, Kyle Shimokusu, Henry Park. 1—Shane Abe, Beau Yokomoto, Dylan Nakano.

Saturday's Second-Round Pairings and Tee Times

First Tee

7 a.m.—Tracey Gibo, Paul Kimura, Daryl Inaba. 7:10—Matt Hall, Mark Morrison, Sean Ogawa. 7:20—Shane Hoshino, Tommy Kim, Joshua Colvert. 7:30—Kevin Carll, Kellen-Floyd Asao, Ed Tischler. 7:40—Phil Chun, Chase Chulakote, Casey Nakama. 7:50—Lance Taketa, John Lynch, Devin Sasai. 8—Kitt Felte, Brian Sasada, Joe Olvey. 8:10—Kevin Hayashi, Casey Paulson, Rob Gittelman. 8:20—Jerry Mullen, Kyle Shimokusu, Henry Park. 8:30—Shane Abe, Beau Yokomoto, Dylan Nakano. 11:30—Glenn Tamagawa, Marcus Sapp, Clive Kegel, Rohn Stark, Louie Lee, David Maddox. 11:50—Kris Moe, Duane Pacheco, Jack Kelley. Noon—Dana Jetter, Olivier Saquet, Troy Higashiyama. 12:10—Andrew Feldmann, Kirk Nelson, Robert Mora. 12:20—Suwat Assawamatiyanont, Jefu Fuller, Loi Stroman. 12:30—Brad Bowen, Gary Kong, Damien Miller. 12:40—Julie Brooks, Stephanie Kono, Desiree Ting. 12:50—Summerset Lovett, Ayaka Kaneko, Christine Kim. 1—Julie Miyagi, Kimberly Kim, Amanda Wilson.

Tenth Tee

7 a.m.—Gregg Baker, Hee Beom Kim, Kevin Shimomura. 7:10—Tim Herek, Tim Newbolt, Michael Escueta. 7:20—Ben Hongo, Abe Mariano, Shaun Sato. 7:30—Scotty Kaneko, Norman-Ganin Asao, Jerald Satake. 7:40—Dean Dorothy, Del-Marc Fujita, Randy Shibuya. 7:50—Tom Eubank, Jonathan Ota, David Eichelberger. 8—David Ishii, Lance Suzuki, Sean Maekawa. 8:10—Jeff Ferry, Wade Nishimoto, Chris Hinojosa. 8:20—Lee Hardy, Stan Souza, Dane Ayers. 8:30—Marc Smith, Jay Taise, Kellan Anderson. 11:30—Faitala Sofa, Kyle Hayashi, Bryce Iwasaki. 11:40—Kirk Smith, Ryoichi Ogawa, Steven Bolibol. 11:50—Wally Iwasaki, Don McClintock, Peter Rice. Noon—Glenn Bellows, Ken Bieschke, William Hunt. 12:10—Rodney Acia, Larry Stubblefield, Rick Jetter. 12:20—Phil Anamizu, Mark Mattice, Norman Guenther. 12:30—Clif Council, Kimo Greene, Barney Sheffield. 12:40—Mike Iyoki, Charles Park, Daniel Nishimoto. 12:50—Dean Prince, George Newbeck, James Olsen. 1—Ken Springer, Galvin Fujii, Herman Manalili.