Posted on: Friday, July 1, 2005

ISLE FILE
Chun wins berth in USGA amateur event

Advertiser Staff

Pearl City's Mari Chun defeated Stephanie Kono on the fourth extra hole yesterday to earn Hawai'i's lone qualifying spot for the 105th annual U.S. Golf Association Women's Amateur Championship.

Chun, headed to Stanford in the fall, and Kono, who will be a Punahou sophomore, both shot rounds of 1-under-par 72 in blustery and wet conditions at Oahu Country Club.

Kono is the first alternate for the national tournament, which is Aug. 1 to 7 in Roswell, Ga. Maui's Mariko Shimozaki is second alternate after shooting a 73.

State high school champion Christine Kim shot 75. Her 13-year-old sister Kimberly had a 78, along with 1979 and '80 U.S. Public Links champion Lori Planos, who recently got her amateur status back.

Low wins at Waikoloa

Hilo's Jacob Low, 17, won medalist honors at yesterday's U.S. Junior Amateur Championship qualifier, played at Waikoloa Village on the Big Island.

He earned Hawai'i's lone spot in the national tournament, July 18 to 23 at Longmeadow Country Club in Massachusetts.

Low, the Manoa Cup runner-up, closed with a 6-under-par 66 for a two-day total of 8-under 136. He birdied the 15th hole to take the lead for good over first-round leader Sean Maekawa.

Tadd Fujikawa (68-70) is the first alternate at 138. Fujikawa, 14, recently won the Hickam Invitational and Brown Four-Ball adult championships. Maekawa (68-71), from Pa'auilo, defeated Lihu'e's Kellen Watabu (71-68) on the first playoff hole to claim second alternate.

High Schools

Kiyuna honored

Retired state association executive secretary Ed Kiyuna will be one of 12 recipients of a National Federation of State High School Associations citation at today's 86th annual NFHS summer meeting in San Antonio, the national association announced yesterday.

Kiyuna retired in 1996 after 18 years as executive secretary for the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association. He spent 17 years as an educational assistant for athletics in the Department of Education. His final year with the association was when it became independent of the DOE. He also contributed on the national level, serving on the NFHS executive committee, appears board and competition committee.

Kiyuna graduated from Northern Colorado and earned a master's degree at Hawai'i. He taught at 'Aiea intermediate and high schools. At 'Aiea High, he coached the varsity football team in the school's first seven seasons, compiling a 44-31-3 record with three second-place finishes in the then-Rural O'ahu Interscholastic Association from 1963 to 1965. He later became athletic director, counselor and administrative assistant to the principal at 'Aiea High before becoming vice principal at Wai'anae Intermediate and Mililani High. He became principal at Mililani in 1976.

For his contributions to high school athletics, he was awarded the Outstanding Special Service Award from the Hawai'i Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association.

Hawai'i executive director Keith Amemiya said he will accept the award on Kiyuna's behalf today.