Monday, April 23, 2001
Stubblefield wins Earlier this month, Larry Stubblefield was named as one of the 2001 inductees to the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame. Yesterday, the 51-year-old Kailua golfer reminded everybody of why by capturing the prestigious Mid-Pacific Open in Lanikai.
Mid-Pacific Open
by 5 strokes
The Kailuan takes the
By Grady Timmons
Lanikai event 29 years
after his 1st win there
Special to the Star-Bulletin.On a windy and overcast day, Stubblefield carded an even-par final round for a five-under-par total of 283. His margin of victory was five strokes, but it was not as easily earned as the score might indicate.
Four of those shots were gained on a single hole, Mid-Pacific Country Club's short but treacherous par-4 17th, where Stubblefield ran in a 25-foot uphill putt for birdie to close the door on Olomana's Casey Nakama.
Nakama, who had birdied the par-5 16th to pull within a shot of Stubblefield, saw his chances to catch Stubblefield vanish at the 17th when he shoved his approach shot right of the green and out of bounds.
Nakama wound up taking a triple-bogey seven to finish at 288, tied for second place with seven-time Mid-Pac champion Lance Suzuki and Brian Sasada. Kauai's Dan Nishimoto and Keith Kollmeyer were another shot back at 289.
For Stubblefield, who was scheduled to be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame at a luncheon today, it was a memorable win.
This year marked the 75th anniversary of the Mid-Pacific Country Club, the course where he learned to play golf as a young boy. It also marked the second time he has won the event, the first time coming 29 years ago in 1972, shortly after he graduated from Ohio State University.
"When I won here in 1972, it was very special, but so is this one," said Stubblefield, who went on to win the PGA Tour Qualifying School that year and played the Tour between 1972 and 1975.
"Back then I thought winning was normal. It's what I thought I was supposed to do. I'm older and wiser now. I realize that your normal game isn't winning tournaments."
Stubblefield entered yesterday's final round with a two-shot lead, and then extended it to five shots with a one-under-par 35 on the front nine. That's when Nakama, the 1996 Mid-Pacific champion, started to make his run.
He birdied 10 and 11 to pick up two shots, then picked up two more with a par at the tricky, uphill par-4 15th and a birdie at the short par-5 16th. Had he not missed a downhill four-footer for par at the par-3 14th, he would have been even with Stubblfield heading into the final two holes.
But that's when disaster struck, as if often does at 17. Although this hole measures just 336 yards, the fairway is narrow and choked by trouble -- a water hazard on the left and out-of-bounds right. Adding to the difficulty, the fairway is hard and crowned and the wind whips across it toward the out-bounds.
All four players in the final group played it safe with irons off the tee, Stubblefield rifling a 3-iron up the throat of the fairway. Nakama blocked his tee shot right, but it was in play about 170 yards from the green.
"It never entered my mind that I would miss-hit my approach shot so bad," he said. "I was just trying to focus and make a smooth swing, but I fanned the club open and the wind took it. It never had a chance. If you're going to miss-hit on that hole, you need to miss it short."
Stubblefield took full advantage of Nakama's error, drawing a 6-iron to within 25 feet of the hole and draining the putt for birdie.
"The 17th is a hole that every golfer thinks about during the round," said Stubblefield, an insurance executive who plays right-handed and putts left-handed. "You know it's coming up and that you have to play it well.
"If memory serves me correct, the first time I won this tournament in 1972, I came to the 17th hole either one up or even and my opponent hit it into the water hazard. It was very similar to what happened today."
Mike Ukauka took top honors in the Championship Flight with a 291.
Maurice Nitta captured A-Flight with a 308, and Michael Nakata was the B-Flight winner with a 318.