Posted at 11:30 a.m., Thursday, November 24, 2005
Fujikawa advances to national junior golf final
Advertiser Staff
Honolulu's Tadd Fujikawa, 14, upset Junior Player of the Year Peter Uihlein, 16, of Bradenton, Fla., 1-up, today to reach the championship match of the Polo Junior Golf Classic at Sea Island, Ga.Fujikawa, a Moanalua Middle School eighth-grader, plays Jamie Lovemark of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., in tomorrow's match-play final. Lovemark defeated Philip Francis, of Scottsdale, Ariz., 2 and 1, in the semifinals.
Fuijkawa went 1-up in the semifinals when Uihlein bogeyed the par-3 17th hole and Fujikawa made par. Both players parred the par-4 18th hole.
Fujikawa was down by three shots after six holes. Fujikawa chipped away at Uihlein's lead and tied it with a birdie on the 11th hole. Uihlein went 1 up on the 13th hole before Fujikawa tied it on 14. They stayed even until the 17th.
Uihlein was chosen the Rolex Junior Player of the Year in a vote by his peers last month. Morgan Pressel was the girls' winner.
Earlier today, Fujikawa defeated Rory Hie of Lakewood, Calif., 1 up, in the quarterfinals.
A field of 88 boys — including many of the top junior golfers in the country — started the tournament with two rounds of stroke play before the field was cut to 32 for match play.
In the girls' competition, Hawai'i's Stephanie Kono and Kimberly Kim were eliminated earlier in match play.
