Hawaii Beat
Jose Mercado, Hawaii's first-ever National AAU Boxing champion, died Sunday, Dec. 5, at St. Francis Hospital. He was 83. Mercado, isle
boxing champ, diesMercado, a southpaw, won four consecutive Territory of Hawaii flyweight championships -- the first in 1936. Three years and three Territory of Hawaii titles later, he beat Beebe Rich of Kansas City to capture the flyweight title in the 1939 National AAU Championships at San Francisco.
Mercado's success caught the eyes of officials at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in New York, where articles of his historic event were added to its library.
A member of the Old Timer's Boxing Club, Mercado is survived by his wife Eliza "Tiny," sons Sidney and Robin, daughter Yolanda "Puanani" Willing and nine grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.
Services will be held Sat., Dec. 18, at Our Lady of the Mount in Kalihi, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Friends may call from 8 a.m. Services begin at 9:30 a.m.; burial to follow at Hawaiian Memorial Park at 11 a.m.
Friends may also call 395-5914 or 841-3109.
Three qualify for Sony Open
Pros David Ishii and Tommy Hines, and amateur Parker McLachlin qualified for next month's Sony Open in Hawaii during yesterday's qualifying at the Waialae Country Club.Ishii, of the Pearl Country Club, shot a 3-under-par 69 to be the low qualifier. Hines, of the Hawaii Prince Golf Course, and Kevin Hayashi, of the Hilo Municipal Golf Course, both shot 70s but Hines won a playoff on the second hole.
McLachlin, the former Punahou star who now plays at UCLA, took the only spot for an amateur. He shot a to tie Michael Ukauka, Regan Lee and Brandan Kop, then won the playoff on the second hole.
The Sony Open, a stop on the PGA Tour, will be held Jan. 10-16 at the Waialae Country Club.
Drag races rescheduled
The 35th annual season-ending NAPA South Pacific Championship drag races will be this Friday and Saturday night at Hawaii Raceway Park.The final major race of the 1999 season, the event was postponed last weekend due to rain.
Racing begins on Friday night with the Pacific Parts Silver Cup series for bracket racers. This final event of the year-long 10-race series will award double points for all competitors along with the cash purse. Gates will open at 6. Admission is $8.
On Saturday, the gates open at 4 p.m. and qualifying rounds will be run from 6:30 until 8 for the finals of the NAPA South Pacific Championships.
The final '99 race in the Budweiser Gold Cup 10-race series for Pro Gas cars and bikes will also be featured Saturday, with double points being awarded along with trophies and cash prize money.