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2007 Season Wrap Up Story Archives
Jared Sawada Wins 1st
Member Only Event in 2007!
5.1.2007--
Mililani High School's
Jared Sawada carded rounds of 75 and 72 for a total of 3-over par 147 to
win Amatour Hawaii's 1st member only event in 2007 at Turtle
Bay Resort. Overnight leader Eric
Sonnenberg of Oahu Country Club and recent masters
participant Casey Watabu from Kauai tied for 2nd with
total scores of 4-over par 148 respectively. Field scoring
average was 80.37 and the birdie leader was Kevin Goto
with 9. Next up the Coral Creek Classic, June 2 & 3, defending
champion Craig Uyehara.
Craig Uyehara Wins in
Playoff!
6.4.2007-- Craig
Uyehara won the
Amatour Hawaii Coral Creek championship, beating
Christian Akau on the first playoff hole. Both golfers
finished the two day event shooting 3 under 141s. The
designated playoff hole was the 10th
hole, a par 3 over a lake. The pin was tucked on the right back
of the green. Christian hit first, and his ball just made it
over the water, but bounced back into the rocks around the
lake. Craig then hit what looked like a good shot, but his ball
also just made it over. Craig’s ball,
however stayed on the grass just past the rocks. The wind had
changed from earlier in the day, from a tail wind to a head
wind, which probably accounted for the two shots being so
short. Craig was farther away from the hole, so he hit his
second shot first, coming up about 10 feet short and left.
Christian then decided to take a penalty stroke, and drop
outside the rocks. His chip came up 8 feet from the cup. Craig
ended the playoff when he drained his putt for par, and retained
his Coral Creek title.
Travis Toyama and
Eric Sonnenberg finished in a tie for 3rd a single
stroke behind at 142. Travis had a chance on the last hole to
get into the playoff, but his 12 footer slid by the upper edge
of the cup.
Christian Akau Wins 1st Major of the Year!
7.23.2007--
Christian Akau (pictured) shot a second round 72 after opening
with a 74 for a two day total of two over par 146 to overtake a
fast charging Craig Watanabe by a single stroke, and capture the
first Amatour major of the year.
Craig Watanabe shot the only sub par round of the tournament,
blistering the tough Ewa Beach golf
course with a 4 under 68 after an opening round of 79 for a 147
total, coming up one stroke shy of forcing playoff with
Christian. Bryan Edwards’ consistent play rewarded him with a
third place finish at 74-74=148. First round leader,
Reyn Tanaka, who shot an even par 72
to take a two stroke lead after the first round ended up tied
for fourth with Neal Takara 75-75=150, and Paul Kimura 76-74=150
after shooting a 78. The golf course played much longer
than its 6600+ yards, and fast firm greens made play very
challenging. The green speed was about 10 on the
stimpmeter, and the fairways were
lush and green, so on a lot of holes, especially into a 20-30
mph wind, the ball didn’t roll very far. The pin placements and
strong winds made driving the ball in the fairway, club
selection, and putting on the undulating greens very
challenging, so all aspects of the golf game were tested this
past weekend. The course was in excellent
condition, so kudos and thanks go out to Guy Yamamoto and the
hard working staff at Ewa Beach golf
course. Also, special thanks to the hard working people who
make the tournaments possible, our dedicated cadre of friends
and young people who make our tournaments run so smoothly.
Reyn Tanaka Wins by a Shot!
8.14.2007-- The Battle at
Klipper was sponsored by Aloha
Shoyu Company Ltd.
Mahalos go out to John
Tsukada and Randy
Morikawa for their support of
Amatour Hawaii.
After shooting 2 under 70s in the first round,
Blaine Kimura and Reyn Tanaka shared
the top spots on Saturday. Blaine and Reyn
were in fact the only players who shot par or better. Eric
Sonnenberg and Mitchell Murata were tied for third after both
shot one over 73s. A tournament within the tournament evolved
when Garret Omuro challenged his two co-directors after he
returned from injury and carved out an artistic 74 to tie for 5th
with Christian Akau and Mike Kawate. The first day yielded
seven skins worth $80 each. The Klipper
golf course played longer than its yardage because of relatively
soft fairways and swirling winds. The tournament was played
from the tips on both days, and small and fast greens and tricky
pin placements added to the challenging playing conditions. The
long rough around the greens also made chipping interesting.
The final round was played under a sunny and warm
sky and winds that were a little stronger than on Saturday. The
small and well protected greens seemed even harder to hit than
on day 1. The par 3 sixth hole was particularly difficult, with
the pin tucked on the right side of the green, making it a shot
of 175 yards directly into the wind to a narrow strip of green
with a bunker in front. No one birdied that hole on day 2. The
pin on hole number 12 was tucked back
right on both days also. Extreme accuracy was needed if a
player was going for the pin, because there are hazards on both
left and right of the green.
The course played tougher on the second day, as
evidenced by the higher scores. No one managed to shoot par,
with the best score of the day being 73 shot by Frank Marcus and
Mike Kawate. A score in the mid-seventies moved that player up
the scoreboard. The wind also picked up at about 1:00 pm ,
making club selection tougher, and the pin placements were
trickier than on Saturday, closer to the fall offs and nearer to
the edges of the greens.
Reyn
Tanaka took a front nine lead, but Blaine Kimura came back on
the back nine to trail by one stroke going into the last hole, a
185 yard par three downhill and into the wind. Blaine
(70+75=145) just missed a par putt that would have tied him with
Reyn Tanaka(70+74=144),
giving Reyn the 2007 Battle at
Klipper championship. Mike Kawate
came in third, shooting a final round 73 to go with a first
round 74 for a 147 total. Mitchell Murata won a skin on
Sunday (he also won a skin on Saturday), came in fourth in the
tournament (73+77=150), and won dinner for two at the Shore Bird
Restaurant. Frank Marcus (78+73=151) and Eric Sonnenberg
(73+78-151) tied for fifth place. The second day yielded five
skins, each worth $100.
In the directors’ challenge, Garret started out
well, hitting his drive down the middle of the fairway and
stoning the pin on the difficult 1st
hole, but he left his birdie putt
inches short of the cup. Things must have gone down hill from
there, because Garret finished with a final round 83 for a total
of 157, two strokes behind Paul Kimura (75-80), and just one
stroke ahead of an improving Shawn Tanoue (75-83).
Special thanks go out to the terrific people who
made the tournament run so smoothly, Sue, Lana, Corrine, and
Charlie, and mahalo to Todd Murata
and the staff of the Kaneohe Klipper
Golf Course for all their help.
Eric Sonnenberg Seals the Deal by
Record Margin!
9.9.2007--
Eric Sonnenberg shot an opening
round six under par 64 on
Saturday, and a two over 72 on Sunday for a four under
136 to win the Olomana
Shootout by nine strokes, strengthening his position as
the points leader for the golfer of the year for 2007.
Shannon Tanoue (71-74),
Christian Akau (75-70), Mike Kawate (74-71), and Vance
Watabu (73-72) tied for
second.
The Olomana
Golf Course played to a par of 70 for the tournament,
with the first hole changed to a par 4 from a par 5, and
the 5th hole shortened to a 235 yard par 3
instead of a par 4, for a 35-35 par 70
layout. The course was a
little dried out, but the greens were excellent, fast
and smooth, and the weather was dry and warm. The first
day yielded 5 skins worth $80 a piece, and on the second
day, there were 7 skins, worth $60 each.
The Casey Nakama
Golf Development Center sponsored the tournament, and
Casey and his wife Jeri were on hand to
distributed the prizes and
offer words of wisdom to the players at the awards
ceremony. Casey is a strong supporter of the
Amatour and pledged his
continued support. A big mahalo
goes out to Casey and Geri from the
Amatour directors and players.
Thanks go out to Norman
Ganin Asao and the
Olomana Staff for all the
co-operation and help that is so important for an event
to run smoothly. Also, thanks go out to Sue Asao, Lana
Hirai, Corinne Toyama, and Charlie Yamane for working
hard, and taking care of all the operational necessities
of a tournament.
Garret Omuro made the bold statement
after his second round 73 that “I am not a one round
wonder anymore”. Garret came in 6th place
overall with rounds of 73 and 73 for a six over par
total of 146, and took down his co-directors, claiming
the title of low director by 4 strokes over Shawn
Tanoue(78-72). This is the first time in recent history
that Garret has broken into the top 10 for an
Amatour tournament.
Congratulations to Garret, and hopefully this is the
start of an upward trend for his game.
On a more philosophical note, when the
golfing is bad, or things are not what we want them to
be, some of us let it get us down, and we forget how
lucky we are to be able to do the things we want and
enjoy our health and vitality. Sue works with a person
whose young granddaughter, Rachel Kim, is battling
cancer. It is so sad that such a young person is unable
to do the things that we take for granted. At the
Olomana shootout, Sue held a
small fundraiser to help defray the huge cost of her
treatment, and the Amatour
applauds all who donated to this worthy cause. All of
us wish all the best for Rachel and her family, and pray
for a speedy recovery. If anyone wishes to make a
donation, please contact the
Amatour and we will forward to you the info you
need.
The last tournament of the year will be a
major with double points contested on November 3rd
& 4th at the Kapolei Golf Course.
Eric Sonnenberg Captures Tour
Championship & Player of the Year Title!
11.6.2007--
The Amatour’s
final tournament, its tour championship, was
miraculously able to finish its final round at Kapolei
Golf Course under threatening skies, very wet
conditions, and strong cold winds. The first day was
relatively benign, with cloudy skies, dry grounds, and
mild winds. Eric Sonnenberg and Blaine Kimura shot
first round one under 70s (the course is undergoing
irrigation system installation, so the third hole was
closed and a par 3 was added to the course after the 16th
hole) to tie for the lead. First day scores reflected
the good playing conditions as most of the players shot
in the 70s. Daron
Rilveria made 2 eagles, and
captured 2 skins on Saturday.
Sunday was a different story. Heavy
rains pelted Oahu all Saturday night, and when the
directors went to the course at 9:30am, they were told
that the course most likely would not open because of
all the storm damage. Not wanting to have only a one
day event at Kapolei for the 3rd straight
year, however, Garret, Shawn and Paul decided to wait
and pray for a miracle. Their prayers were answered, as
the rain stopped soon after, and the flooding conditions
started to subside. The approval to start the second
round was given at noon, and the second round was
started.
The course was soaked and muddy, and “lift clean
and place” was the rule for play. Soon after play was
commenced, a strong and cold “2 club” wind started blowing,
making club selection more challenging for many of the front pin
placements since the greens are elevated, and any shot short of
the green would roll back down the hill.
Eric Sonnenberg’s
final round score of 72 (70-72=142) was good enough to
win the tournament, and capture player of the year
honors for 2007. Congratulations Eric, and continued
good shooting in the future. Phillip
Anamizu placed second
with rounds of 71 and 74 to
finish at 145, followed by Chris
DeAlmeida and Blaine Kimura at 146. The top
24 points leaders earn
exemptions into the 2008 season, and qualify for the
2008 Amatour Cup that is
played in conjunction with the Qualifier for the
non-exempt players. This last event earned double
points, so a good finish could move a player into the
top 24. That list will be out soon on the
Amatour website.
On a lighter note, Paul Captured the Director’s
tournament (72-78=150), with Shawn
coming in a close second (74-79=153), and Garret bringing up the
rear at 82-82=164.
Thanks go out to Ken and his staff at the Kapolei
Golf Course for all their help to
allow the tour to play the second round, and again all the
terrific people, Sue, Lana, Corrine, Charlie, and the
Akau's and others, who do the things
that make the Amatour function so
smoothly. Finally, thanks go out from the directors to all the
players who come out to play the events, because you are the
reason the Amatour has endured for 6
years. This tournament bring an end
to the 2007 Amatour season. The
year end awards banquet is the last function on the agenda.
Eric Sonnenberg Reigns
Supreme in 2007!
3.10.2008-- Amatour Hawaii 2007
Awards Dinner, Hee Hing Restaurant. Eric Sonnenberg
reigned supreme in 2007 capturing Player of the Year honors
and a whole lot more. Sonnenberg played in all 6 events in
2007 winning two tournaments; Olomana Shootout and the Tour
Championship, tied for runner up at Turtle Bay, T3 in the
Coral Creek Classic, T5 in the Battle at Klipper and was T10
in the Ewa Beach Championship. He also was top in many
statistical categories for 2007, players who qualified had
to have a minimum of 8 rounds played.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR- Eric Sonnenberg
(1,715 points)
BIRDIE LEADER- Eric Sonnenberg (35 total
in 12 rounds)
EAGLE LEADER- Christian Akau, Daron
Rilveria and Chris DeAlmedia (2 per golfer for the year)
FAIRWAYS HIT- David Long (77.2%)
GREENS IN REGULATION- Eric Sonnenberg
(62.5%)
LEAST PUTTS PER ROUNDS- David Ishikawa
(28.8 putts per round)
DRIVING DISTANCE- Jarrett Young (296.4)
SCORING
AVERAGE- Eric Sonnenberg (72.8)
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