ISLE FILE
UH golfer Kodama leads state amateur

Advertiser Staff

University of Hawai'i golfer Matt Kodama shot a 3-under-par 69 to take the sole lead after the second round at the Hawai'i State Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Pearl Country Club yesterday.

Kodama, a UH senior from Las Vegas, was at 4-under 140, three strokes ahead of Del-Marc Fujita (71). Jonathan Mathias (70) and Pierre-Henri Soero (70) were at 144.

First round co-leader Travis Toyama shot a 75 and was at 146.

Forty-four golfers made the cut at 155 and advanced to today's third round, which begins at 11:20 a.m. at Pearl.

SURFING

Lowe wins opener: Australian Michael Lowe defeated Florida's Kelly Slater in the quarterfinals and Kaua'i's Andy Irons in the finals to win the Quiksilver Pro at Sanpper Rocks, Gold Coast, Australia, yesterday.

Lowe defeated Irons, the two-time defending world champion, 17.34 to 14.16, in 4-foot surf.

Lowe earned $30,000 in the World Championship Tournament event. Irons got $16,000. It was the first of 12 scheduled meets this season.

DIVING

Gowdy advances: University of Hawai'i senior Michael Gowdy placed third in the 1-meter springboard at an NCAA regional yesterday in Oklahoma City and qualified for the national championship meet March 25-27 at East Meadow, N.Y.

Gowdy scored 647.50 points, breaking the UH record of 506.60 set by Ken Patton in 1990. Gowdy previously qualified for the national meet in the 3-meter and platform events.

QiongJie Huang of the women's team finished second and set a school record in Thursday's 1-meter event.

Huang's score of 538.15 automatically qualified her for the nationals, March 18 to 20, at College Station, Texas.

Huang also has qualified for all three diving events.

TRIATHLON

Qualifier named after honu: The new qualifying race for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship has been named the Honu Triathlon.

The race is June 13 at the Big Island's Kohala Coast. Honu is the Hawaiian word for turtle.

Kona community volunteer Sean Pagett, sponsor of the free Peaman race series, submitted the winning entry in a "Name the Race" contest.

The race is open to Hawai'i residents and will provide 35 qualifying slots for the Oct. 16 Ironman contest to Big Island triathletes and 20 to residents of the other islands.

For details, call (808) 329-0063 or e-mail: kona@ironmanlive.com.

SOFTBALL

UH-Hilo splits doubleheader: Sarah Steele pitched a six-hitter and Hawai'i-Hilo scored two runs in the sixth inning to beat Point Loma Nazarene (San Diego), 2-1, in the first game of a doubleheader at Hilo softball stadium.

In the second game, Kelly Kalish pitched a four-hitter in a 3-0 Point Loma victory.

UH-Hilo is 16-5, Point Loma is 11-11.

EQUESTRIAN

Season opens: The Aloha State Dressage Society will hold its first events of the season today and tomorrow.

Events will be held today at Maunawili Farm and tomorrow at Hilltop Equestrian Center in Waimanalo. Both will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.