Suzuki, Carll propel pros to Burns Cup win
By Bill Kwon
Special to the Advertiser
LANIKAI — Despite winning only four of 12 individual matches yesterday, the pros ended a two-year losing streak in the Burns Challenge Cup with a 14-10 victory over the amateur team at the Mid-Pacific Country Club.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Lance Suzuki and Ko Olina's Kevin Carll went undefeated in the two-day, Ryder Cup-format event. In head-to-head matches, Suzuki beat Paul Kimura, 3 and 2, while Carll downed reigning state amateur champion Chase Chulakote, 5 and 3.
Hawai'i-Hilo senior Mike Kim watches his drive on the ninth tee. Kim halved his match with pro Tommy Kim. The Kims are not related.
Suzuki and Carll won with respective partners Casey Nakama and Beau Yokomoto as the pros had taken an 8 1/2 to 3 1/2 lead after Monday's bestball and alternate team matches.
That proved too much for the amateurs to overcome despite victories by Del-Marc Fujita, Jonathan Ota and University of Hawai'i junior Kellen-Floyd Asao in three of the final four matches of the day.
Fujita says he's claiming personal bragging rights for a year with a 1-up victory over Olomana pro Nakama, thanks to a 50-foot eagle putt at the par-5 16th hole. Nakama had rallied from four down after six holes in the most spirited match of the day.
Asao, the reigning Manoa Cup champion, beat Yokomoto, 2 and 1, while Ota downed Shane Hoshino by the same score.
Brandon Abreu and Joe Phengsavath, who plans on turning pro next January, also recorded victories for the amateurs. Abreu beat Phil Chun, 2 and 1, and Phengsavath held off Ko'olau's John Lynch, the Aloha Section PGA stroke-play champion, 1 up.
Hapuna's Kevin Hayashi, the Aloha Section PGA's player of the year, and Regan Lee, who leaves today for Japan where he qualified for next week's final stage of that tour's qualifying school, posted the pros' two other victories yesterday.
Playing in his first Governor's Cup since 1996, Hayashi beat Norman-Ganin Asao in a battle of top-ranked players, 4 and 3, while Lee turned back Brandan Kop in a battle of cousins, 3 and 2.
Three matches were halved — pros Tommy Kim tying UH-Hilo senior Mike Kim (no relation), Hilo Municipal's Lance Taketa pulling even with Kevin Shimomura, also of the UH-Hilo golf team, and Brad Bowen of the Maui Country Club rallying to tie Mark Chun.
With the victory, the pros lead the series, 20-10, with one tie. Named after Gov. John A. Burns, the annual challenge cup began in 1973.
