Hawaii Beat

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Wednesday, August 6, 1997

Castillo holds one-stroke lead

MAUNA KEA RESORT -- Michael Castillo shot a 3-under 69 for a 36-hole total of 142 for a one-stroke lead over Joe Root going into today's final round of the AT&T Aloha Section PGA Stroke Play Championship.

Castillo birdied Nos. 13, 14, 15 and 17 before bogeying the 18th in playing the back nine in 33.

"The turning point for me was 12," said Castillo, the head pro at the Poipu Bay Resort. He went up-and-down from 141 yards out to save par before starting on his birdie tear. A 50-foot birdie putt at the par-4 14th also helped.

Root bogeyed the testy par-3 11th for the second straight day after posting 10 consecutive pars to begin the day. He finished with a 73 for a 143 total.

Marc Orlowski of Lanai shot even-par 72 and was third at 145. First-round leader Brandan Moynahan of Kapalua shared fourth place at 147 with Kevin Hayashi and Jay Taise after a 78 yesterday.

While Castillo is looking for his first individual Aloha Section PGA title, his father, Ron Sr., took a seven-stroke lead in the senior division with a 75 yesterday for a 148 total.

HONG TO U.S. AMATEUR: Chia-Yuh Hong of Taiwan will represent Hawaii in the 97th U.S. Amateur Championship at the Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lamont, Ill., Aug. 18-24.

Hong beat Bo-Song Kao, also of Taiwan, in a one-hole playoff after they both shot a 36-hole score of 139 as 14 amateurs competed for the lone berth yesterday at the Pearl Country Club.

Kao becomes the first alternate, while Jim Seki Jr. and Chin-Jung Su are next after shooting 142s.

AIEA WINS LEGION TITLE: Aiea defeated West Oahu, 5-3, in an elimination game, then outslugged Windward, 15-10, to win the American Legion State baseball tournament last night at Hans L'Orange Park.

Aiea's Wade Taguchi was named the tournament's most valuable player. He was 14-for-25, scored 11 runs and had three doubles, two home runs while batting .560.

The sportsmanship award went to Windward's Edwin Chun.

STRANGE ENDING: At Hercules, Calif., Hawaii edged Antelope Valley, Calif., 1-0, in the Little League Big League (16-18 years) Western Regional girls' softball tournament yesterday.

Hawaii's winning run scored on a double steal attempt. Aloha Yamaguchi was thrown out at home, but the throw back to second trying to get Koren Uyemura went into center field allowing Uyemura to score.

The game ended when Ericka Pimental speared a line drive and turned an unassisted double play at third base.

Hawaii has gained a berth in tomorrow's championship game.

EXTRA INNINGS: At Salem, Ore., Naomi Wright scored from third base on a grounder to third with Hawaii's winning run in the 10th inning for a 5-4 victory over Pinole-Hercules, Calif., in the Little League Senior (13-15 years) Western Regional girls' softball tournament yesterday.

Hawaii plays undefeated Lancaster, Calif., today and needs a win to force a winner-take-all championship game tomorrow.

AAU TEAM UNDEFEATED: At Cocoa Beach, Fla., the Hawaii team in the AAU National Baseball Tournament for players 14 and under is 5-0.

Yesterday, Hawaii defeated Sarasota, Fla., 4-2, to finish the first round of pool play with a 4-0 record, then started the second round with a 4-0 victory over Cincinnati.

Alika Kuraoka had two hits in each game for Hawaii.