Monday, April 19, 1999
Meyer makes up
8 strokes to win
Mid-Pac Open
The Big Islander charges back
By Bill Kwon
in the final round to beat
Kevin Hayashi
Star-BulletinIt was supposed to be a coronation. It turned out to be an abdication instead.
Kevin Hayashi blew a seven-stroke lead in the final round of the Mid-Pac Open as Greg Meyer shot a 67 to win by one stroke yesterday at the Mid-Pacific Country Club Course in windswept Lanikai.
Meyer finished with a 72-hole score of 283, while Hayashi carded a 284 with his 76 yesterday.
"I was basically just trying to play for second," said Meyer, who started the day eight strokes back of Hayashi, his fellow Big Island buddy. "I felt bad for him."
It was Meyer's third Mid-Pac Open title in the 1990s. He also won in 1997 and 1990.
For Hayashi, who holds titles in the Pearl Open, Rainbow Open, Waikoloa Open and the AT&T Stroke Play Championship, the Mid-Pac Open title eluded him once again with his second runner-up finish in a row.
This time, it hurt a little more.
"Everybody was saying seven-stroke lead, but it shows that anything can happen. That's why you have to play," said Hayashi about his huge lead going into the last round.
Hayashi would like back two holes he double-bogeyed -- the 16th and 17th -- enabling Meyer, who birdied the par-5 16th, to erase a four-stroke deficit and go ahead by one entering the final hole, which they both parred.
"I hit bad shots at the wrong time," said Hayashi. At 16, he left a bunker shot and compounded that mistake by three-putting from 30 feet. At the tight par-4 17th, Hayashi ballooned a 6-iron and the wind took his second shot out-of-bounds to the right.
"Greg played a great round," said Hayashi, who admitted that this was his toughest tournament loss.
Meyer actually started the round in third place at 216 -- a shot behind Johnny Riegger. He quickly overtook Riegger with birdies at the second and fourth holes.
A 12-foot eagle putt at the island-green par-5 fifth hole, which Hayashi bogeyed, cut the deficit to four strokes.
"I hit a good tee shot and maybe I had 216 (yards) to the flag," Meyer said about his eagle that led to a three-shot swing.
"I tried to get in somewhere on the green. Luckily, I got a good bounce and the ball kicked up to about 10-12 feet."
Hayashi also bogeyed six and seven, enabling Meyer to get to within two of the lead. But Meyer bogeyed nine and Hayashi birdied 10 to go up by four again.
Hayashi covered Meyer's birdie at the par-3 14th and the four-stroke lead with three holes to play looked safe. That is, until Hayashi ran into nothing but trouble at 16 and 17.
The par-5s proved the difference yesterday. Meyer played them in 3-under, despite three-putting No. 12 for a par, while Hayashi shot 3-over for the four holes.
The victory was worth $5,250 for Meyer, while Hayashi won $3,250.
Bobby Jewel finished third with a 292, while Beau Yokomoto and amateur Randy Creighton tied for fourth at 294.
Eight-time Mid-Pac Open winner Lance Suzuki and Casey Nakama were next at 295, while in a three-way tie at 296 were Brian Sasada, Jerry Mullen and amateur Michael Ukauka.
Mid-Pac Open
At Mid-Pacific C.C., Par 72
Final Round
Championship Flight
Greg Meyer, 72-72-72-67-283
Kevin Hayashi, 72-66-70-76-284
Bobby Jewel, 72-76-72-72-292
Beau Yokomoto, 72-75-74-73-294
a-Randy Creighton, 74-75-73-72-294
Lance Suzuki, 72-73-74-76-295
Casey Nakama, 74-73-74-74-295
Brian Sasada, 74-75-73-74-296
Jerry Mullen, 70-71-80-75-296
a-Michael Ukauka, 74-73-75-74-296
Kevin Carll, 76-73-77-71-297
Dan Nishimoto, 73-73-79-73-297
Johnny Riegger, 75-71-69-82-297
Mark Chapleski, 73-76-74-75-298
Scott Head, 70-72-76-80-298
Daryl Inaba, 75-75-73-75-298
Ivan Cunningham, 72-77-75-74-298
Jeffrey Ferry, 74-77-75-72-298
John Freitas, 73-75-74-76-298
a-Jim Seki Jr., 75-75-78-72-300
a-Amateur.A-Flight
Paul Glen, 78-76-77-81-312
Hideo Komuro, 78-78-82-75-313
Louie Lee, 82-83-77-72-314
Maurice Nitta, 77-80-81-77-315
Jin Doo Mun, 79-76-81-77-318
Kenny Goo, 79-77-84-79-319B-Flight
Keith Komatsubara, 82-82-84-78-316
Ron Kimura, 83-82-79-83-327
Alan Adachi, 79-83-84-81-327
Clayton Nishimoto, 83-82-82-81-329
Peter Chan, 83-80-83-83-329
Keach Mizuno, 81-89-82-80-332
