Lynch captures Mid-Pacific
By Bill Kwon
Special to The Advertiser
LANIKAI — John Lynch didn't know that all he needed to do to win the Mid-Pacific Open yesterday was par the final hole.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
"I didn't know where I stood. In the back of my mind I thought I had lost the tournament," said Lynch, who half-skulled a pitch shot just off the green only to hit the flagstick and stop inches from the cup.
Professional John Lynch entered the final round with a five-stroke lead, and managed to hold on for a one-stroke victory after a 6-over 78 at the Mid-Pacific Country Club. "But a win's a win," Lynch said.
He tapped in for a 4 to close with a 6-over-par 78 and a 72-hole total of 288 to win by one stroke over Kevin Hayashi, Dave Eichelberger and Dan Nishimoto, who were watching at the 18th green, ready for a playoff.
"I hung on even though I lost six shots (to par). But a win's a win," said Lynch, 29, who represents the Kuki'o Golf & Beach Club on the Big Island after a year on the Hooters Tour.
It was his biggest victory by far, according to Lynch, who won the Aloha Section Stroke Play Championships in 2003 and 2004.
"This is a bigger field and a bigger purse," said Lynch, who earned $8,500 in ending Regan Lee's three-year reign as champion.
But Lynch nearly gave it all away with double-bogeys at the seventh and 15th holes, besides three-putting for bogeys at the par-5 12th and par-4 17th holes. The double-bogey 6 at 15 could have been even more of a disaster for Lynch, who sailed his second shot over the green.
"I had a great drive about 130 yards to the pin. The wind was howling and I hit a little 8-iron and the wind stopped. My ball ballooned," said Lynch, who took four before finally getting on. Despite his 78, Lynch didn't feel like he played that badly.
"I hit some good shots," said Lynch, who took a five-stroke lead going into the final round.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
"There were some good scores out there, but some of the pin placements were ridiculous, almost in unfair positions. This course is tough enough, they didn't have to do that."
Kevin Hayashi, above, shot a 1-under 71 to tie for second at 289 with Dave Eichelberger (71) and Dan Nishimoto (73).
One of the toughest was at the par-4 17th, where the pin was back left. Lynch and Hayashi both three-putted from 35 feet.
"You had to putt so defensively today," said Hayashi, who thought he put a good roll at 17 only to see his putt go by the hole and off the green.
Hayashi's three-putt was costlier than Lynch's because a par would have enabled him to pull even with Lynch after starting the day eight strokes behind.
Hayashi, who along with Eichelberger, shot 1-under 71s to finish at 289 with Nishimoto (73), knows from experience that making up eight strokes isn't impossible.
"Anything's possible at this course. Seventeen and 18 are probably the toughest two finishing holes in the state," said Hayashi, who remembers Greg Meyer making up eight strokes in the final round by shooting a course-record 64 to beat him in 1997.
Playing with Eichelberger and Nishimoto in the group ahead of Lynch, Hayashi said his goal was getting to within four strokes at the turn.
"I did that," said Hayashi, who played the front in 2-under 34 while Lynch went 2 over.
Eichelberger
"Then I bogeyed 11, 15 and 17."
Still, Lynch was glad that the flagstick got in the way of his ball at 18, enabling him to avoid a playoff.
"He deserved a good break," Eichelberger said about Lynch's third shot that rattled the flagstick. "He would have had a very slippery downhill putt if he didn't hit the pin."
Said Lynch: "I just got lucky."
Up until then he had been feeling pretty miserable along with his playing partners in the final group as they joined Lynch in posting forgettable final-round numbers — Kevin Carll (79), Ed Tischler (81) and amateur Randal Keola Gerell (89).
Lee shot a 76 yesterday and finished at 300.
