Lahaina, Maui, HI – Jun Ho Won came out blazing with four birdies on the front nine during the first round of the 2017 HHSAA David S. Ishii Foundation Boys Golf Championship and turned in an impressive 67 (-4) today on the Royal Ka’anapali Course. Won is two strokes ahead of Zachary Kaneshiro who finished at 69 (-2). Iolani takes the Team lead after the first round and sits seven strokes ahead of Punahou and 13 strokes ahead of defending Champions, Moanalua.
Jun Ho Won is a senior at Moanalua and will play on the Boise State golf team next year. He won the 2017 OIA Boys Individual Title and finished in 2nd place in the 2016 HHSAA State Championship so he is gunning for the state title this year. Won commented, “I feel good about my round today, I can’t be disappointed. My goal today was to not 3-putt and I was doing well until the hiccups on #11 and #13.” He added, “The course played tough – only two players under par - the greens were fast and on the back nine, the wind picked up a bit. I think that’s what made me a bit nervous (the wind), but then I got used to it and got back into my rhythm.”
After the two bogeys, Won then had a great drive on #14 with only 25 yards to the pin and stuck his approach to seven feet, making the right to left putt for birdie. He just would miss another birdie opportunity on #15, but come back on #16 and knock his approach to three feet and roll it in for his 6th birdie of the day, bringing him back to (-4). “My goal for tomorrow is the same mindset - Zachary and I have played together quite a few times and he’s a real good player – he chipped in for par on #18 today,” Won stated. He continued, “I know I just need to go out and play my game, staying focused and focusing on every shot out there.”
Zachary Kaneshiro made three birdies and one bogey on the front nine and then finished the back even par, with the chip in on #18. Zachary was the 2016 Hawaii State Junior Golf Association (HSJGA) Player of the Year in the Boys 15-18 division and has also captained the Mid Pac team the last three years. Rilen Loo of Punahou shot even par today (71) and is in third place after todays round.
Chad Lee, a junior at St. Anthony’s finished today T4 with Iolani’s William Asai. Lee was the top Maui player to finish at one over par. Lee stated, “I started off well with a birdie on #2 and played steady all the way through #14, but I didn’t finish strong – overall I was pretty happy with my round. I really wanted to par the first three holes so the birdie on #2 got me going and feeling pretty nice – I hit a knock-down 5-iron to about 10 feet on that hole (par 3) and barely tapped the downhill putt to roll it in.” As for tomorrow, “I just want to go out and play my game and see what happens,” said Lee. Lee finished in second place in the 2017 MIL Individual and hopes to be in the run for the trophy during tomorrow’s final round, just five strokes back from the lead.
Team Iolani scores were lead by William Asai (+1), Trevor Arashiro (+2), Kengo Aoshima (+3) and Andrew Otani (+4). Iolani Head Coach Glenn Inouye said, “It’s only the first day and we go up against Punahou every week during ILH season so they know us and we know them. We have a friendly rivalry and we both know to expect a battle tomorrow.” Inouye added, “The Royal Course played tough today, especially with the wind - the greens were really fast – we’re expecting tomorrow to be just as challenging.” As for the team he said, “It’s nice, most of these guys have been playing with each other 3-4 years on the team and we always stress the team championship – each individual then tries hard to contribute to the team.”
For a full list of individual and team results from today, visit
http://bit.ly/2pynz7z. The second and final round will be held on Thursday on the Royal Ka’anapali Course with tee times starting at 6:30am.
HISTORY OF THE DAVID S. ISHII FOUNDATION:
In 1996, after 40 years of state Department of Education sponsorship, the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) became a private, non-profit corporation. State money, the bulk of the association’s funding up to that point, was cut to zero. Private sponsors were needed to underwrite the cost of staging both the boys and girls state golf championships.
This potentially dire situation did not escape the notice of Hawaii Hall of Fame golfer David S. Ishii. David – himself the 1973 state champion from Kauai High School – stepped up and committed his own funds to serve as the title sponsor of the event in 1997 and continued to personally sponsor the event for several more years.
Encouraged by his wife Lorraine and assisted by his many friends, David laid the groundwork to establish a foundation that would ensure support for the HHSAA tournament in perpetuity. Beyond that, he envisioned a foundation that could also offer college scholarships, sponsor clinics, and provide learning opportunities for Hawaii’s youth using golf as a means of imparting important life lessons.
The David S. Ishii Foundation was officially founded in 1999 and has more than fulfilled the vision that its founder held for it. Today, the Foundation sponsors the annual HHSAA State Golf Championships for both boys and girls, awards two $4,000 college scholarships to graduating seniors each year, offers travel stipends to the Boys U.S. Junior Amateur and presents workshops and clinics.
For more information about the foundation, visit
www.davidsishiifoundation.org ABOUT KA’ANAPALI GOLF COURSES:
The Royal Ka’anapali Course, a Robert Trent Jones Senior design, opened in 1962 and has tested the skills of golf professionals and amateurs alike. A Par 71 stretching 6700 yards, the Royal Course combines wide fairways and undulating greens, making it both distinctive and demanding. Home of the Champions Tour Ka’anapali Classic for 14 years, the Royal Ka’anapali Course also hosted Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, the Canada Cup and LPGA Kemper Open, donning such golfing greats as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Jan Stephenson and Betsey King.
The Ka’anapali Kai Course is a Par 70, 6,400-yard course and boasts an array of strategically placed bunkers, contoured fairways, and re-shaped and resurfaced greens. This course, host of Golf Channel’s #1 series Big Break Ka'anapali, is a challenge to play and places a premium on strategy off the tee, accuracy with approach shots, and a deft touch around the greens.
In 2005-2007, Ka’anapali Golf Courses invested over $13 million in renovations and infrastructure. Golf course architect, Robin Nelson, was brought in to oversee the rework of the Ka’anapali Kai Course and enhancements to the championship Royal Ka’anapali Course. Ka’anapali recently celebrated 50 years (1962-2012) and was host of the Champions Tour SKIN GAME January 2008-2011.
For more information about Ka’anapali Golf Courses visit
www.kaanapaligolfcourses.com or call (808) 661-3691. Instagram @kaanapaligolf and
www.facebook.com/kaanapaligolf ###PAU (END)###
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