'AIEA — Azuma Yano separated himself from the field early in the final round of the 30th annual Hawai'i Pearl Open and hung on for the win yesterday at Pearl Country Club.

Nothing perturbed Yano, a rascal who, in a twist of Pearl Open fate, is a 30-year-old who was 30th on the JGTO money list last year. His only disappointment this week was that Tadd Fujikawa wasn't here to defend his title.

"I'm definitely coming back," Yano said. "I'm 30 and this is the 30th anniversary of this tournament so we're the same age. I wanted to play head-on with Tadd this year."

Someone with Yano's experience and skill had no fear of the unknown marching up and down Pearl Country Club's slippery slopes the last three days. He led wire-to-wire, opening with a 66 and putting the finishing touches on a second-round 69 early yesterday morning, after three hours sleep, which kept him a shot ahead of Chris O'Connor. A few hours later, Yano fired a final-round 69 to finish at 12-under 204.

It was two shots better than Turtle Bay's Kiyoshi Murota (69) and Hidemasa Hoshino (66). Murota, 52, has won Pearl twice before and is still a force on the JGTO, where Hoshino — also 30 — was 46th on the money list last year.

Hoshino, who was low amateur here and also has a third-place finish, had seven birdies yesterday, including four in a five-hole span on the back. But he couldn't birdie the par-5 17th, when mud affected the ball flight, and his birdie putt lipped out on the final hole.

He finished long before Yano and felt he had "no way" to catch him. But, when Yano got stymied by a palm tree on the 16th, then three-putted for double bogey, suddenly Hoshino and Murota were just one back for the first time all day.

A 9-foot birdie putt on the 17th — Yano's seventh of the day — all but clinched it. A brilliant chip to the 18th green did. It became necessary when his drive stopped in a divot and he played his second shot safe and short. Yano ended up making a downhill 3-footer for par.

"I didn't want to leave it short," Yano said, grinning. "That wouldn't look too cool."

Mainland pros John Ellis (68) and Steve Schneiter (66) shared fourth, another shot back. Six-time Aloha Section PGA Player of the Year Kevin Hayashi (70) and Punahou sophomore Bradley Shigezawa (68) tied for sixth and earned kama'aina honors. Shigezawa's bogey-free round also made him low amateur and helped beat out Japanese idol Ryo Ishikawa in a battle of 16-year-olds.

The two played together the first two rounds. Shigezawa was paired with Hoshino yesterday.

"When he plays, it's easy," Shigezawa said. "Hit the ball in the fairway, hit the ball close to the pin, one-putt."

Ishikawa, the megawatt star of the Japanese tour from the moment he won his JGTO debut last May as a 15-year-old amateur, closed with a 71 and finished 10th — three places better than last year — then promised to return. He had five birdies yesterday and needed just 10 putts on the back nine, but was foiled by three bogeys and, like everyone else, Yano's excellence.

When the two met in the Pearl Country Club lobby last night, the 40-plus Japanese media members here swarmed them in a sea of whirring cameras. Yano seized the spotlight yesterday, winning the $12,000 first prize and hoping the accompanying round-trip to Japan could be swapped for a round-trip to Hawai'i.

Aside from the double-bogey hiccup, he never gave anyone a chance. He birdied his first two holes and did absolutely everything necessary to fight off Murota — who also birdied the first two — and Hoshino ... and the pack of Mainland and Hawai'i pros, and gifted, often very young, amateurs trying to chase him down.

"There were a lot of players from the younger generation in this tournament," Yano said. "In Japan the juniors don't get a lot of opportunities to play with the pros so this should be really helpful for them. I played with a 14-year-old girl (Cyd Okino) the first two days and I was really impressed. She was very mature for her age, very talented, too."

NOTES

After 30 players finished their second round yesterday morning, the cut was made at 2-over 146 for pros, and 6-over 150 for amateurs (18 amateurs are guaranteed to make the cut). The final-round field was 99 and it included Stephanie Kono — the only female to make the cut of the three who played — and 13-year-old Lorens Chan. Those two played in the same group yesterday, along with 12-year-old Masachi Ito and two other Japan teens.

Kono, a Punahou senior, wasn't the only one feeling old at Pearl. Minnesota pro Don Berry, a 45-year-old who plays here often and finished second two years ago, was in a group Saturday that included three teens, including Ito. Their combined ages added up to 44.

Kamehameha's TJ Kua and Kamehameha-Hawai'i's Pono Calip will play for the University of Hawai'i in the fall. Kua was runner-up to Sean Maekawa at last year's state high school championship, while Calip finished third.

Kaua'i's Casey Watabu, the 2006 U.S. Public Links champion, said he will try to qualify for the Canadian Tour at its Q-School next month in San Diego — close to where he now lives.

WOMEN TAKING OVER THE COURSES IN HAWAI'I

After five major men's professional events, the LPGA will start its season here Thursday with the SBS Open at Turtle Bay.

Paula Creamer, the top-ranked American in the Rolex Rankings (No. 4), will defend her championship and fourth-ranked Annika Sorenstam will play SBS for the first time. Kailua's Bridget Dwyer has received a sponsor's exemption to play.

The qualifier is today, with Hawai'i high school seniors Ayaka Kaneko and Stephanie Kono playing. The SBS Pro-Am is Wednesday at Palmer Course.

Golf Channel will broadcast all three rounds live, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The purse is $1.1 million, with $165,000 to the winner.

The following week, Michelle Wie will make her 2008 debut in the Fields Open in Hawai'i, at Ko Olina Golf Club.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.