Fujikawa playing in Japan event
Advertiser Staff
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Tadd Fujikawa's brush with Nationwide Tour history last week could have a large impact on his schedule the rest of this year, but first he is teeing off in Japan.
The 18-year-old Moanalua High School graduate is playing the JGTO's Sun Chlorella Classic this week, for the second straight year. The $1.6 million event is at Otaru Country Club in Hokkaido, which is 19 hours ahead of Hawai'i. Fujikawa tees off in the first round at 5:52 p.m. today HST, and 1:32 p.m. tomorrow in the second round.
The field also includes Hilo's Greg Meyer, Turtle Bay's Kiyoshi Murota, and Shigeki Maruyama, Ryo Ishikawa and Azuma Yano. Meyer, Murota, Fujikawa and Yano are past Hawai'i Pearl Open champions.
Last week, in his first Nationwide appearance in two years, Fujikawa was in the top six the first three days of the Cox Classic in Omaha, Neb. A win would have eclipsed the record Jason Day set as the youngest to win a tour-sponsored event. Day was 19 years, 7 months and 26 days old when he captured the 2007 Nationwide Legend Financial Group Classic.
Fujikawa could manage only an even-par 71 Sunday and finished in a tie for 15th, winning nearly $12,000. He has won more than $91,000 in his second full year as a pro.
His top-25 finish qualified him for this week's Nationwide stop in Ohio, but the Fujikawas chose to honor their commitment in Japan. Agent Kevin Bell says Fujikawa will be back on the Nationwide before he heads to the PGA Tour Qualifying School this fall.
Fujikawa accepted an invitation to play in the Nationwide Utah Championship Sept. 10 to 13. Before that, he hosts his March of Dimes Tadd Fujikawa Classic here Aug. 5, then plays the European Tour's KLM Open, in the Netherlands, and the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.
Bell is seeking more Nationwide invitations and says Fujikawa could try some Monday qualifiers because if he does well he can earn conditional status or skip a stage of Q-school.
The top 25 Nationwide money winners get PGA Tour cards for the following year. The next 35 are exempt on the Nationwide Tour and Nos. 61 to 100 are conditionally exempt.
MERKLE HAS EARLY LEAD
Two-time state high school champion Kristina Merkle fired a 1-over-par 73 yesterday and holds a one-shot advantage over defending champion Katie Sisler after the first round of the Hawai'i State Women's State Stroke Play Championship.
The second round tees off today at 9 a.m. at Mid-Pacific Country Club, where Merkle has won the Jennie K. Invitational three of the past four years. The Moanalua High graduate, who will play for Tulsa this fall, made the turn in 2-over yesterday, but played the back in 1-under. So did Sisler, who starts her junior year at UC Davis this fall.
Four golfers are tied for third at 75 — Eimi Koga, 13; Kacie Komoto, 14; Cyd Okino, 15, and recent Punahou graduate Anna Jang, who starts at Princeton in the fall.
Jaclyn Hilea, the 2006 champion, is another shot back and 2007 champ Xyra Suyetsugu is at 77.
The final round is tomorrow, beginning at 9 a.m.
Kim, who lost in the U.S. Junior Girls final Saturday, opened with a 2-under-par 70 and has a share of fifth. Alexis Thompson, from Florida, is the leader at 67.
Kyung Kim, like Kimberly Kim a Hawai'i resident who moved to Arizona for high school, shot 72 and is tied for 13th. Britney Yada, the Hawai'i girls qualifier from Hilo, is tied for 45th after shooting 80.
Bell, the Hawai'i boys qualifier, shot 74 and is tied for 28th. The boys' leader is Kramer Hickok of Texas, at 67.
The tournament has a cut after 54 holes, with the top 30 girls and top 30 boys playing Friday's final round.
In the boys' division, Haiku's Justin Keily remained tied for 12th after firing a second-round 70. He is eight shots behind leader Patrick Fishburn, a Utah high school junior who shot 7-under 63 yesterday and stands at 132.
The tournament ends tomorrow.
