FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Regan Lee watched his drive off the 14th tee yesterday at the Mid-Pacific Open. Lee won by a stroke.
Lee pulls off It's not very often that a 72-hole golf tournament is won in the third round, but that's pretty much how Regan Lee captured his second consecutive Mid-Pacific Open title yesterday in Lanikai.
Mid-Pac repeat
by a stroke
He ekes out the win after entering
the final round leading by 6By Grady Timmons
Special to the Star-BulletinOn a weekend that saw 25- to 35-mph winds sweep across the Mid-Pacific Country Club course, Lee fired a 4-under-par 68 on Saturday that gave him a comfortable six-shot lead going into yesterday's final round.
And while Lee limped home with a 77 yesterday, a 1-under-par 287 for the tournament, that score held up for a 1-shot win over fellow pro Mark Takahama, who carded the day's best round, a 3-under 69, to finish second at even par 288.
Pro Philip Chun was another shot back at 289.
"With this wind, that 68 on Saturday felt like a 63 or 64," Lee said. "That round is what really won the tournament for me. To shoot par or better on this course this weekend was a very good score."
The 2003 Mid-Pac Open was a far cry from last year's event, when an absence of wind, soft greens, and immaculate conditions led to an assault on par. Lee won it with a 16-under 272 total.
This year, stiff breezes and a toughened-up course made for an entirely different tournament. "The rough was longer this year, the greens were firm and fast, and they put the pins in difficult locations," Lee said. "It wasn't hard to putt it off the green."
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Reynold Lee, left, congratulated brother Regan after his win in the Mid-Pacific Open yesterday.
Yesterday, Lee took his lumps on the greens. He four-putted the par-4 eighth for a double bogey, and three-putted the 10th, 17th and 18th. Despite those miscues, he was never in serious trouble and his margin of victory was not as close as the final score made it seem.
Lee began the day at 6 under and went to 7 under when he drained a 45-footer for birdie at the par-3 No. 4. Thereafter, however, he began to slide.
A bogey at No. 6 was followed by the double at No. 8, and when he three-putted No. 10 from the back fringe, his lead over Chun and Takahama was just two shots. Takahama, who began the day trailing by nine, got off to a fast start, rolling in birdie putts at the first, second, third and ninth holes to turn in 32. Chun made the turn at 1 under.
But Lee blasted from a bunker to within 6 feet at the par-5 12th and made birdie. He then saved par at the tricky par-3 14th, rolling in a downhill 7-footer, to push his lead again to three shots and putting him back in his comfort zone.
"Once I made that putt at 14, I felt a lot better about the round and my chances of winning," he said.
Although Lee bogeyed three of the last four holes, Takahama and Chun were not able to take advantage. Chun bogeyed 13 and 15, while Takahama bogeyed the 17th to lose by a shot.
Still, it was Takahama's best finish as a pro. A former 1995 State Amateur and Hickam Amateur champion, he is a landscape architect who moonlights as a professional tournament golfer.
"My putting this week really surprised me," he said. "I haven't putted that well in four or five years."
For Lee, it was his fifth professional win in Hawaii since 2001. In addition to his two Mid-Pac titles, he also won the 2001 and 2002 Waikoloa Opens on the Big Island, and the 2002 Rainbow Open at Mililani. Yesterday's victory was worth $6,000.
Last summer, Lee played in 15 events on the Gateway mini-tour in Arizona, where he won $42,000 and placed high in several tournaments, including a playoff loss. He has also competed on the Canadian Tour. He plans to rejoin the Gateway Tour in June.
Shane Hoshino (70) and 2001 Mid-Pac winner Larry Stubblefied (73) finished in a tie for fourth at 292. Former Punahou and UCLA golfer Parker McLachlin was the top amateur at 295.
Hilo pro Kevin Hayashi sprained his thumb on the 10th hole yesterday, yet still managed to finish with a 77-294.
Hawaii State Golf Association
