UH golfer Soero earns U.S. Open slot
Advertiser Staff
University of Hawai'i-Manoa golfer Pierre-Henri Soero is headed for the U.S. Open.
The native of Noumea, New Caledonia, fired a 36-hole total of 147 yesterday on the Ka'anapali North Course to win the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier on Maui, edging Kahului's Brian Sasada by one stroke to claim the tournament's sole berth.
Soero
"It's very exciting," said Soero, 21. "I'm going to compare my game against the best in the world."
Soero will leave in less than two weeks for North Carolina's Pinehurst Golf Course, where the Open will be held June 16 through June 19.
Soero negotiated trade winds and hard greens to post a 1-under 70 in his first round, and then managed to hold on with a 77 in the second.
"Today's qualifier truly set apart the player with the most proven abilities under difficult playing conditions," said Ed Kageyama, Aloha Section PGA president. "Pierre-Henri played two solid rounds of golf."
Soero attributed his success to familiarity with the 36-hole format.
"When I played with UH it was the same," Soero said. "I played a lot of league tournaments."
Soero, a marine biology major who just completed his sophomore year, averaged 74.1 strokes per round this year at UH. His top finish was a tie for sixth at the John Burns Intercollegiate in February.
The Ka'anapali tournament was one of 13 sectional qualifiers held across the country yesterday, offering a total of 76 qualifying berths.
