Monday, February 11, 2002

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Kiyoshi Murota won the 2002 Hawaii Pearl Open at the Pearl Country Club yesterday by shooting final-round 65.

Murota eases to
second Pearl Open
championship

The Japanese touring pro holds off
Wilson and Chand in windy conditions

---

By Grady Timmons
Special to the Star-Bulletin

Blustery winds and treacherous greens made par a good score for everyone but Kiyoshi Murota yesterday at the Pearl Country Club.

Murota, a 46-year-old Japanese touring pro, overcame the elements with seeming ease, firing a final round 65-205 en route to an 11-under-par, five-shot victory in the 24th annual Hawaii Pearl Open.

For Murota, who has been coming to Hawaii to play in this event for the past decade, it was his second Pearl Open title. He also won in 1997.

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Dinesh Chand finished second at this weekend's Pearl Open.

Yesterday he did it by playing near flawless golf, putting together a final round that included six birdies and an eagle at the par-5 17th. His lone bogey of the day came when he three-putted the par-4 4th hole.

"It was Kiyoshi's day," said Dinesh Chand, a 30-year-old pro from Fiji, who placed second at 70-210. "I would have had to make about nine birdies to catch him."

"Kiyoshi always plays well. He's a very steady, solid golfer," said Hawaii's Dean Wilson, who finished in a tie for third. "I knew I was going to have to shoot under par to beat him."

But Wilson could do no better than a 73-213. He was joined at that total by Todd Fischer and former Pearl Open winners, Greg Meyer and Kevin Hayashi, all of whom carded even-par final rounds of 72.

Japan's Hideki Kase was another shot back at 72-214. Hawaii's Beau Yokomoto, 73-215, and Japan's Hiroyuki Fujita, 74-216, rounded out the top eight finishers. Japan's Hiroaki Munetsugu was the low amateur at 70-217.

Murota, who won the Casio World Open last November and finished 13th on the 2001 Japan Golf Tour Organization's official money list, began the day tied with Chand and Wilson at 4-under-par, but quickly grabbed the lead with birdies at the first, third and fifth holes.

Wilson fell by the wayside early. Plagued by erratic driving throughout the round, he yanked his tee shot left and out-of-bounds at the short par-4 7th to take a double bogey, and then he bogeyed the 9th hole for a front-nine 39, five shots behind Murota.

"I hit it all over the yard," said Wilson, who placed third on the 2001 JGTO money list. "That was the name of the game today."

Chand, a two-time winner on the Japanese Tour and one of its longest drivers, made the turn at 35 and was in good position until Murota reeled off three straight birdies. At the short par-4 11th, Murota wedged to within three feet, and then did the same at the par-5 12th, which Chand also birdied.

At the 195-yard par-3 13th, Murota hit perhaps his finest shot of the round, lacing a 3-iron into a stiff wind to within three feet of the cup. When Chand subsequently bogeyed the 14th, three-putting from five feet, Murota's lead was four shots and the tournament was all but over.

Murota added an exclamation point to his round at the 17th, where he chipped in for an eagle with a 9-iron from just off the left side of the green.

For his victory, Murota earned $12,000 and two-roundtrip airline tickets from Hawaii to Japan. He credited his good play to his short game and putting, but also noted that by switching to the Titleist Pro V1 ball and using a new Taylor Made driver, he has gained an extra 20 yards off the tee.