honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, April 20, 2008

Rainbow Wahine in WAC tourney

Advertiser Staff

Hawai'i gets it shot at returning to the NCAA Division I Regionals in women's golf, and the University of Hawai'i-Hilo men will warm up for the NCAA Division II West/Mid West Super Regional at their respective conference championships beginning tomorrow.

The Vulcans have again qualified for the Super Regional, which will be next month in Sonoma, Calif. But this week Brigham Young-Hawai'i will host the Hawaiian Airlines Pac West Championship at Turtle Bay's Arnold Palmer Course.

Grand Canyon won last year's inaugural Pac West championship in Arizona. It has also qualified for the postseason along with Dixie State and Notre Dame De Namur.

Hilo, fourth in the Pac West last year, will rest some golfers this week. The Vulcans just returned from a road trip and are giving players time in class before regionals. Hilo's Logan Goulding earned Freshman of the Year honors last year with his fifth-place finish at the Pac West Championship.

BYU-Hawai'i, Hawai'i Pacific and Chaminade took the last three spots at last year's conference championship.

The tournament tees off at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow and Tuesday and 7:10 a.m. Wednesday.

The 18th annual Western Athletic Conference Women's Golf Championship starts tomorrow at Sunnyside Country Club in Fresno, Calif. San Jose State, ranked 39th, is the favorite while No. 73 Hawai'i is the only other WAC team in the top 80. The Rainbow Wahine need to win the conference tournament to reach their second regional.

Idaho, with Baldwin graduate Kelly Nakashima, won last year's WAC championship. San Jose State junior Erica Moston was last year's WAC medalist, winning by seven shots. She is averaging a WAC-best 74.73. Hawai'i senior Xyra Suyetsugu, the 2007 Hawai'i State Women's Stroke Play champion, led the WAC earlier this month.

The Rainbow Wahine took third in the WAC last year, five shots behind Idaho. It was their best WAC finish ever, and a prelude to their first NCAA appearance. Corie Hou took fourth individually, Lisa Kajihara fifth, Dale Gammie — the 2007 WAC Player of the Year as a senior — was ninth and Suyetsugu 12th.

The 'Bows have five top-10 finishes this year and two top-5s, including a second at the Aztec Fall Classic. Suyetsugu and Kajihara are the only seniors. Hou, a sophomore, has the best individual finish this year, tying for second at the Fresno State Invitational.