RONNIE O.P. OKAZAKI

May 4

Kahuku Golf Course

Hole No. 1, 139 yards, 9-iron

I was playing at Kahuku with my regular gang. I took a few practice swings, weed-whacking at the grass, then stepped up and aimed to the right of the green, so the right-to-left crosswind could assist me.

I hit the 9-iron dead-solid perfect, but couldn't follow the flight of the ball. Neither could the rest of my group.

When we got to the green, I couldn't find my ball anywhere. I figured it had run the green and into some small trees. Mamo Saito, Roy Matsuo, Bob Sakoeki and George Kagawa all helped me look for my new Top Flite, but we had no luck.

Disgusted, I thought I was out of the running for our skins bet on the hole.

Kagawa was the first to putt out, and as he went over to pull the flagstick, he picked up my ball in the cup.

He held it up and asked, "Is this your ball?"

It was.

I have been playing golf since 1963 and this was my first hole-in-one.

I have just two regrets: I never saw it go into the hole and my friend Larry Ikeda, who was away on vacation that week and who has two aces, was not around to see it either.

Do you have a story to tell about your hole-in-one? Tell us about it. Stories must be typed and brief, around 50-100 words. The stories must include the date, course, hole, yardage and club. Return phone numbers must be listed. Holes-in-one must have been reported to The Advertiser by the golf courses. Fax submissions to 525-5491 or e-mail to: sports@HonoluluAdvertiser.com