ISLE FILE
Watabu shoots 79, trails U.S. Amateur leaders by 11
Advertiser Staff
Kapa'a's Casey Watabu shot a 9-over-par 79 yesterday at the 107th U.S. Amateur Championship being played at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.
Watabu had four bogeys, a double bogey and a triple bogey (on the par-4 12th) and is 11 shots behind the leaders in the 312-player field. The field will be reduced after today's round to the lowest 64 scorers, who will advance to match play. Match play rounds will be held tomorrow through Sunday. All matches are 18 holes except the final match, which is 36 holes.
Watabu, who won the 2006 U.S. Amateur Public Links, is one of 11 U.S. Golf Association champions in the field.
The winner of the event will receive an exemption into the 2008 U.S. Open and British Open, and a probable invitation to play in the 2008 Masters, if he remains an amateur. He also receives a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Amateur field so long as he remains an amateur.
LYNCH ADVANCES
Defending champion John Lynch advanced to today's quarterfinals of the Aloha Section PGA Turtle Bay Golf Match Play Championship by defeating Eliot Gouveia, 3-2, in the second round yesterday at The Arnold Palmer Course.
In other second-round matches, Matt Pakkala def. Regan Lee, 2-up; Kevin Carll def. Matthew Hall, 8-6; Andrew Feldmann def. Tad Fujimaki, 1-up on the 19th; Brian Sasada def. Mark Morrison, 2-1; David Gerken def. Ron Castillo Jr., 1-up; Kirk Nelson def. Kyle Herzberg, 4-3; and Lance Taketa def. Ty Otake, 4-2.
Quarterfinals start at 7 a.m. followed by the semis at noon.
BASEBALL
HWB STARTS FOOD DRIVE
Hawaii Winter Baseball West staff will conduct a food drive to benefit the Women's Domestic Abuse Shelter on Saturday.
Collections will be taken at the Pearl City Shopping Center, makai parking lot fronting Kamehameha Highway and on the mauka side between Don Quijote and Foodland stores, as well as at Times Super Markets in Waipahu and 'Aiea. The drive will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Contributors will be eligible for drawings for Hawaii Winter Baseball memorabilia, HWB West general manager Merv Yoshimoto said.
