LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i native TJ Kua set a new course record Saturday at the College-Amwith a 62, said Ron Castillo of the Puakea Golf Course. Kua broke the record set by the University of San Diego during the 2009 event,
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i native TJ Kua set a new course record Saturday at the College-Amwith a 62, said Ron Castillo of the Puakea Golf Course.
Kua broke the record set by the University of San Diego during the 2009 event, Castillo said.
The following day, Kua set the pace for the University of Hawai‘i golf team, finishing the opening round of the 54-hole Kaua‘i Collegiate Invitational with a 1-under par 71.
“His putts aren’t dropping,” said his mother, who followed the Kaua‘i boy along with some of the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation golfers on Sunday.
Kua two-putted the No. 10 for par despite getting a good lie after greening on his second shot in the strong trades blowing in from the northeast.
He crossed with a 1-under par 35, and finished the back nine on par.
Overall, the University of Hawai‘i-Black finished in sixth place with a team score of 299, followed by the University of Hawai‘i-White that closed with a team 305.
The University of San Diego, defending champions of the Kaua‘i Collegiate Invitational for the past two years, set the pace, finishing the opening round with an under-par 281 led by Gunner Wiebe who finished 6-under par 66 (31-35), followed by Manav Shah coming in at 1-under par 71 (36-35), and Joe Harrison finishing even par 72 (33-39).
David Sheman (37-34), Andrew Robb (36-35), and Scott Malo (35-36) all carded 1-under par 71 to lead the University of British Columbia who finished second with a team total 286, five strokes off the lead.
Travis Johnsen (35-37) and Kyle Huus (35-37) each finished at even par 72 to lead Gonzaga University to a team 295 for third place.
Preston Matchett finished with a 1-under par 71 (35-36) to lead Seattle University to its fourth place 296, just a stroke behind Gonzaga, and a stroke ahead of the University of Texas San Antonio who finished with a team 297, led by Nicko Dodd (32-41) and Payne Wilkie (37-36) who each finished the opening round with a 1-over par 73.
This is two strokes ahead of the Hawai‘i-Black who, in addition to Kua, got a 3-over par 75 (37-38) from Cory Oride, another Kaua‘i native.
Alex Chu (33-42-75) and Nainoa Calip (39-37-75), a new face on the Hawai‘i golf team from Hilo, Hawai‘i, set the pace for the Hawai‘i-White. Nainoa is the two-time reigning Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion and also took the amateur division of the Hilo Invitationals and competed on the USA Hawai‘i-Japan Cup all-star team in 2009.
Daniel Derozario (33-42-75) and Matt Tweddell (38-39-77) led Hawai‘i Pacific University’s team 311 and Hayato Nakatsuka (39-38-77) and Daiki Yamamoto (39-38-77) set the pace for Osaka Gakuin University who rounded out the field with a team 318.
Nick Matsushima of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo leads in individual play for that school with a 73 (35-38).
Golfers tee off from 8 a.m. for the second day of the tournament at the par-72 course at the Puakea Golf Course.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
