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Pictured above, from left
to right, Teiko Kuma,
title sponsor (Kuma Contracting); Parker McLachlin,
2005 Kona Open Champion; Peggy Ciriako,
Kona Open Tournament Director; Mike Yukon,
General Manager for Kona Country Club. Photo by Lee Hardy.
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5.22.2005- Former
Hawaii resident Parker McLachlin
chipped in for par on the second playoff hole to beat Darren Summers
to claim top honors at the Kuma Contracting Kona Open today. Both
professionals finished regulation play tied at 6-under par and headed to the
tournament's 1st hole for a sudden death playoff.
After routine pars
on the 350 yard par 4, both professionals headed to the 9th hole, a short
but demanding par five of 466 yards. (Both nines of the Ocean Course were
reversed for the Kona Open.) Summers hit his tee shot in the middle of the
fairway and that's when the drama started. McLachlin hit his tee shot left
and out of bounds. McLachlin uses driver and hits a monster provisional tee
shot to about the 150 yard marker. Summers, who is away, goes for the green
in two but his ball goes left and lands just out of bounds. Spectators near
the green say Summers had a big break because his golf ball rolled back in
bounds and onto the cart path. McLachlin fired an iron shot straight over
the flagstick but came to rest on the back fringe. Summers took his free
relief and hit his third shot but never got it on the line he wanted. His
ball came to rest almost twenty feet under the hole. McLachlin hits a
delicate downhill chip and holes it out for a par. Summers lagged his birdie
attempt to about 3 feet and his par putt did almost a complete 360 degree
lip out to give McLachlin the victory.
McLachlin started
the day 5-strokes behind first round leader and defending champion
John Lynch who opened with a four under 68.
McLachlin, a former Punahou and UCLA standout, who now resides in
Scottsdale, AZ, had the tournament low round, a sizzling
7-under 65 (73-65--138). Summers, who plays out of Kapalua Resort, had rounds of
70-68 (138). Ivan Cunningham, low
professional of this year's Hilo Invitational fired a final round 66 (140)
to tie for third place along with Lynch and amateur Sean Maekawa
68 (140). Maekawa took low amateur honors, besting last year's low amateur
Jarett Hamamoto, who had rounds of
70-71 (141). Rounding off the top ten included professionals Regan
Lee 70-71 (141), Jerry Mullen
75-67 (142), while Tommy Kim and
Reynold Lee both shot identical rounds
of 76-71 (147).
In the A-Flight,
Hilo's Mel Loo ran away with the title
firing a final round 3-under par 69 to take first place in that division.
Loo opened with a 77, three strokes behind former Hilo High School stand out
golfer Jonathan Oba. Last year's
A-flight champion Lance Yamada shot a
final round 74 (155) to come in second place, while Oba took third place
firing an 82 (156).
Mike Yukon, General
Manager of the Kona Country Club, looks forward to a bigger and even better
tournament next year. He plans to include all flights to use both the Ocean
and Mountain Courses in next year's championship. Yukon was especially happy
with the way his crew mopped up the golf course as heavy showers flooded
Keauhou from late Friday night up until about 4 am Saturday morning.
McLachlin said "thank you to Mike and Peggy Ciriako,
(Tournament Director) for handling the tough conditions they were faced
with. They did a great job of taking care of the water on the course, the
sand, and made it playable for all golfers".
Story
by
Lee Hardy.
Final full field results now posted for the Open flight
click here, for the A-Flight
click here.
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