50TH MID-PACIFIC OPEN
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Tadd Fujikawa enjoyed a 7-stroke lead and his Spam musubi during the third round of the Mid-Pacific Open.
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Fujikawa running away with Mid-Pacific
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Tadd Fujikawa's onslaught of the Mid-Pacific Open continued unabated yesterday.
The 17-year-old professional from Moanalua High fired a 4-under 68 and extended his lead over David Ishii (1-over 73) to seven strokes entering today's final around.
Should he hold on to win, Fujikawa will become the youngest champion by three years in the tournament's 50-year existence. At 14-under 202 after three rounds, he needs another stellar outing to break Ishii's record of 17-under 271.
John Lynch sits at third after posting a 1-under 71 (5 under overall). Defending champion Darren Summers is in fourth after a 2-over 74 (3 under overall).
BRIAN MCINNIS
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With the finish line representing his first tournament paycheck in sight, Tadd Fujikawa has no intentions of taking his foot off the gas pedal.
The 17-year-old Moanalua junior -- who eschews golf carts -- sits in the driver's seat after yesterday's third round of the 50th Mid-Pacific Open, in which he shot a 4-under 68 to take a commanding seven-stroke advantage over David Ishii entering today's final round.
He has a chance to become the youngest champion in the tournament's history and can break Ishii's record score of 17 under if he plays as strongly as he has in posting a three-round total of 202 (14 under). Ishii, a three-time champion, started the day only two strokes behind Fujikawa but struggled to find consistency and bogeyed his final hole to post a 1-over 73.
Fujikawa was happy with the score itself but not with some aspects of his game. In particular, the young professional didn't deliver his drives onto the Mid-Pacific Country Club fairways enough for his liking. He planned to hit the driving range right after cooling off at the clubhouse.
Shouldn't he feel at least a little comfortable after making his first cut as a pro, with a sizable lead under his belt?
"Not on this course," Fujikawa said with a head shake. "Anything can happen. Somebody can have a good round, somebody can have a bad round. You have to go out there and stick to your game plan, don't worry about what other people are doing and hit the shots."
A Fujikawa victory is by no means assured. In 2006, Kevin Hayashi led by seven strokes entering the final day but fell down the stretch in rough conditions and against a determined opponent.
The golfer who came back to win it? Ishii, who isn't ready to toss in the towel just yet. Still, the 52-year-old veteran is taking a realistic approach to the deficit.
"(Tadd) was in some places where he could have made bogeys but he made all pars," Ishii said. "If he has a few misses (today), then we can catch up with a few birdies. But, if he plays like he did (yesterday), he's got it."
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
David Ishii found himself seven shots back of Tadd Fujikawa after the 52-year-old veteran shot a 1-over 73 yesterday.
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John Lynch, the 2005 champion, played his way into today's leaders' group with a 1-under 71 (5 under overall). He capitalized on a tough day for defending champion Darren Summers, who struggled to hit the fairways and went 2 over for the day in dropping to fourth.
Fujikawa, Ishii, Lynch and Summers are the only golfers who remain under par in the field of 110.
Lynch, who nearly imploded and hung on to win with a 78 during his final round in 2005, believes this one is far from over.
"Anything can happen out here on Sunday, seriously," the 32-year-old from Delaware said. "In 2005, I blew up on the last nine holes, and I barely snuck in. So it can happen, man. We see it every year."
Fujikawa showed no signs of pressure being the leader by notching birdies on his first two holes. After making the turn at 3 under, he bogeyed No. 2, then responded with consecutive birdies to reassert himself. That included a spectacular putt on No. 4 from 20 feet out, eliciting one of the teen's trademark fist pumps.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Tadd Fujikawa pumped his fist after sinking a birdie putt on the par-5 No. 5 in yesterday's third round of the Mid-Pac Open.
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Both Ishii and Summers bogeyed that hole in a brief spurt of rain, and hit their drives into the water hazard on the next hole (the par-5 No. 5, the course's most difficult) to place all the momentum in Fujikawa's camp.
"David and I, every time we came and made a birdie, we bogeyed the next hole, so you're kind of back to square one," said Summers, a Maui resident from Scotland. "Kind of one of those days. There's only four people left under par, so that kind of tells you it must be more difficult than I thought."
Fujikawa parred the final five holes in front of a gallery of about 40 to maintain his gaudy score going into the final round.
"It seemed like it's a good score, but it could have been better, could have been worse," he said. "So, I want to make it easier on myself so I don't have to get up and down on every hole, or make a 5-footer. So, things like that that make life easier."
Charles Barenaba, the 1975 winner, holds the record of youngest champion at age 20.
"Sounds good to me!" Fujikawa said of it with a grin.
Punahou senior Stephanie Kono, the first woman to make the cut at the tournament, posted a 76 for a three-round total of 11-over 227.