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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, July 9, 2005

Morinaga, Fujikawa capture junior crowns

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

Tadd Fujikawa
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Kayla Morinaga
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KAHUKU — For the past three days at Turtle Bay Resort, Hawai'i juniors celebrated a golf rarity: After thousands of dollars and frequent-flier miles, a national tournament came to them.

Kayla Morinaga, Tadd Fujikawa, Elyse Okada and Chan Kim celebrated hardest.

Morinaga and Fujikawa concluded wire-to-wire victories in the oldest (16-17) age divisions of the Callaway Golf PGA Junior Series yesterday on Turtle Bay's Fazio Course. Okada and Kim, who will be sophomores at Maui and Kaimuki high schools in the fall, rallied to win the 13-15 age divisions.

This was the seventh of 12 PGA series summer events across the country. The PGA of America sets the course up much like it would for a professional event — minus many yards off the tees. Turtle Bay looked similar to when it hosts LPGA and Champions Tour events at its Palmer Course — where the juniors played Thursday.

"The little things really make the event," said Matt Hall, Turtle Bay director of golf. "You can turn the facility into a championship venue by just the little things. That's what these (PGA) guys do."

It was tough to tell who was the most impressive "older" champion.

Morinaga blew away the girls' field. Fittingly, her victory coast came in wind gusts of close to 40 mph the last two days. Attempting to protect an 11-shot advantage after two rounds, she fired the lowest round of any girl, any day, yesterday. Her 1-under-par 71, which included four birdies and a four-putt, gave her a 5-over 221 total and astonishing 21-stroke victory.

Her game plan yesterday?

"Don't mess up," admitted Morinaga, a Sacred Hearts graduate heading for Portland State. "Anything is possible."

Fujikawa keeps shooting sequels to his excellent golf adventure. He starts his freshman year at Moanalua High School next month. In May, he won adult championships at the Hickam Invitational and Francis Brown 4-Ball. He spent last month qualifying for a summer full of travel to national junior events.

This week, the 14-year-old "played up" an age division to try and enhance his national ranking, and still couldn't be stopped. He hit an "average" of 16 greens in regulation each day and closed with a 74 for a six-shot victory over Kapa'a's Sean Ogawa (73-226). Kurt Nino, the 2004 state high school champion, took third at 73-230.

Ironically, the 5-foot-1 Fujikawa looks up — far up — to the winner of his actual age group. Chan Kim is a foot taller than Fujikawa. But it was Waikoloa's Henry Park who looked Kim in the eye all week.

Park grabbed a one-shot lead after the second round, but couldn't hold on yesterday when Kim had six birdies in a nine-hole (Nos. 6 to 14) stretch.

"I have no idea what happened," said Kim, who will play at the Westfield Junior Championship next week in Ohio. "I was one down when I got the first birdie. Then I just kept sinking putts."

Kim closed with a 69 for a 213 total and six-shot victory. His surge transformed the younger girls' division into the day's most dramatic chase.

Okada (75-232) lost the three-shot advantage she took into the final round against Kristina Merkle early, but came back with four birdies, including a chip-in, to win by one. Merkle closed with a 73, the low round in her division.

When it was done, all that was left was to learn if Michelle Wie made the cut at the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic. What if she had?

"I would work my butt off to beat her," Kim said, smiling.

"It would be good for Hawai'i golf, give us a confidence boost," Fujikawa added. "For a girl to make the cut at a men's tournament ... I think I would try to beat her, too. It would be extremely hard."