ISLE FILE
Lynch, Nelson match golf skills
Advertiser Staff
John Lynch moved two steps closer toward defending his title of the Aloha Section PGA Turtle Bay Golf Match Play Championship yesterday at the resort's Palmer Course.
Lynch advanced to today's final by defeating Brian Sasada, 5-3, in the quarterfinals and Matt Pakkala, 3-2, in the semifinals.
Lynch will play Kirk Nelson, who advanced with victories over Kevin Carll, 8-6, and Andrew Feldmann, 1-up.
Mike Iyoki will meet Ron Kiaaina Jr. in the Senior Division final. Yesterday, Iyoki beat Rodney Acia, 5-4, and Ron Castillo Sr., 4-3, while Kiaaina ousted Rick Ambrose, 5-4, and Ray Suzuki, 2-1.
WATABU MISSES CUT
Kapa'a's Casey Watabu shot a 7-over-par 77 yesterday and failed to advance to match play in the U.S. Amateur Championship at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.
Second-round play was suspended due to darkness and 59 golfers will finish their round this morning before a cut to the low 64 scorers will be made for match play.
The projected cut is 7-over, and Watabu stands at 16-over in a tie for 230 in the 314-player field.
Jason Kokrak of Warren, Ohio, shot a bogey-free 3-under 68 to take the early lead for medalist honors at 137.
TADD READY TO TEE OFF
Tadd Fujikawa, 16, will tee off 8:30 a.m. tomorrow and 3:30 a.m. Friday (Hawai'i times) in the Jane Rogers Championship of Mississauga in Mississauga, Ontario.
BOXING
ESCALANTE STILL IN IT
Waimanalo's Bruno Escalante lost yesterday but remained in contention at the U.S. Olympic Boxing Trials in Houston.
Escalante, competing in the flyweight (112 pounds) division, dropped a 20-12 decision to Aaron Alafa of Visalia, Calif. Escalante led 6-2 after the first round, but Alafa rallied to tie the score at 10 entering the final round, which he dominated.
Escalante, who beat Colorado's Timothy Ibarra, 21-10, on Monday, fell into the challengers' bracket in the double-elimination tournament that will decide the 11 boxers who will represent the U.S. at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Meanwhile, Malcom Franklin of Rialto, Calif., defeated Keola McKee of Wailuku, 27-10, in a light flyweight (106 pounds) semifinal bout. It was the second loss for McKee, who dropped a 25-20 decision to Jerail Singleton of St. Louis, Mo., on Monday.
BASKETBALL
MAUI TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets for the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational college basketball tournament in Lahaina go on sale today at 9 a.m.
Marquette, Duke, Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Princeton and host Chaminade will be competing in this year's tournament, Nov. 19 to 21 at the Lahaina Civic Center.
Tickets can be purchased by logging on to www.mauiinvitational.com, or through Oahu Travel, the official travel agency of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, at 800-826-3822.
