Hawaii Beat

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Tuesday, July 13, 1999

Ota, Lee fire opening
71s in Publinx

Jonathan Ota of Lihue and Honolulu's Regan Lee led 11 Hawaii hopefuls at 1-under-par 71 after the first round of qualifying yesterday in the U.S. Amateur Men's Public Links Championship at Alton, Ill.

They trailed Danny Panicchia of Fresno by six strokes going into today's final round of qualifying for the 64-player field that begins match-play competition tomorrow.

Duane Pavao of Waipahu shot a 72, while Dan Kouchi of Hilo, Maui's Takeshi Mitsuhashi and Shannon Sibayan of Kapaa, Kauai, posted a 4-over 76. At 78 were Garrett Okamura of Wailuku and Lihue's Jaime Matsumura.

Guy Yamamoto, who won the national publinx title in 1994, had a 79. Justin Kim of Mililani posted an 82 and Alakai Hao of Kahului shot an 83.

Ten boats finish Transpac

Boats continued filing past the Diamond Head finish line yesterday to complete the 2,225-mile Transpacific Yacht Race.

Ten boats had completed the race by mid-day.

Bob Lane's Medicine Man of Long Beach, Calif., finished late Sunday night despite losing three spinnakers in the last few days. Two blew apart while flogging after gear failures and the other ripped during a jibe.

Two boats still at sea -- Vapor of Long Beach and Sweet Caroline of Australia -- were not heard from at the morning roll call. Both were believed to have radio problems.

Roy Disney's 72-foot Pyewacket won first-to-finish honors late Saturday night. The Los Angeles Yacht Club vessel completed the race in 7 days, 11 hours, 41 minutes and 27 seconds, taking 3 hours, 43 minutes and 5 seconds off the record set by Disney's smaller Pyewacket in the 1997 race.

Doug Baker's 68-foot turbo sled Magnitude from the Long Beach Yacht Club of California also broke the 1997 record, finishing 1 hour, 5 minutes and 40 seconds behind Pyewacket.

Grand Illusion, representing the Lahaina Yacht Club on Maui, finished at 12:52 p.m. Sunday, beating Pyewacket by almost three hours on corrected time, and apparently winning handicap honors.

Klaneski does it again

Hawaii defensive back Eddie Klaneski was named the Indoor Professional Football League's Defensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row after helping the Hammerheads down the Louisiana Bayou Beast, 36-13, Saturday to clinch a postseason playoff spot.

Klaneski scored the game-breaking third-quarter touchdown on a 49-yard interception return. The former Damien and UH star also had another interception along with eight tackles, six of them unassisted.

Macdonald, Cabebe win

Angus Macdonald and Candice Cabebe of the University of Hawaii swim teams were the male and female winners, respectively, of Sunday's Turbo Surf North Shore Challenge from Ekuhai Beach Park to Waimea Bay.

Macdonald finished the 2.3-mile ocean swim in 43 minutes and 58 seconds. Kevin Flanagan (46:05) and Peter Hursty (46:11) were second and third among the males.

Cabebe was fifth overall with a 50:16 clocking. Second and third among the females were Katie Wright (52:12) and June Ford (53:22).

The second event in the North Shore Surf and Sea swim series drew 233 entries.

Perkins takes surf honors

Bonga Perkins surfed his way to the $600 first-place prize last weekend at Ala Moana Bowls in the Hoes Toes at the Bowls meet, third in the Ocean Club Series this summer.

Joey Valentin finished second, pocketing $300. Duane Desoto and Kanoa Dahlin were third and fourth, earning $250 and $200, respectively.

IKF Hawaii dominant

George Kotaka successfully defended his title as Grand Champion for the third consecutive year and three other International Karate Federation Hawaii advanced black belts won gold medals in the AAU/USA National Championships at Orlando, Fla., last weekend.

Hawaii's Barbara Chinen, who now trains with IKF Sacramento while attending college in California, won women's Grand Champion honors.

Among other advanced black belts from Hawaii, Elisa Au won a gold medal and Shannon Nishi beat IKF teammate Andromeda Ambard for another. Hawaii's Zeke Ambard, Masakazu Kurita and Brian Ishikawa won the junior boys title in kumite (sparring) while Ambard and Nishi were on the winning junior girls kumite team.

Mari Kotaka, Au and Chinen also were members of the winning IKF adult women's team.