GOLF REPORT
Two from Hawaii win U.S. Kids titles
• | Playing golf and tennis twice as nice for Ching |
Advertiser staff
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Hawai'i's Donny Hopoi and Allisen Corpuz out-drove and out-played the competition to win their divisions at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship last week at Pinehurst, N.C.
Both Hopoi, from 'Aiea, and Corpuz, from Waipahu, won the long-drive contests in their age divisions. Hopoi won with a drive of 242 yards in the Boys 10 division, while Corpuz captured the Girls 9 with a drive of 183.
Hopoi opened the stroke-play portion of the championship, which is the world's largest for boys and girls younger than 12, with a 4-under-par 68. He followed with rounds of 72 and 71 to beat China's Zecheng Dou by three shots in the division.
Corpuz shot nines of 31-31-35 for a 97 total to win the Girls' 9 title by three shots over Kapolei's Mariel Galdiano and California's Kha-tu Vu.
Honolulu's Eimi Koga closed with a 69 to finish fourth in Girls 11's. Koga's 216 total was 10 shots out of first. Hilo's Ciera Min (73�223) took ninth.
Nani Yoga, also from Hilo, was 19th in Girls 12's at 80�237. Ho-nolulu's Shawn Lu took 12th in Boys 8's, with nines of 36-38-43, for a 117 total.
The tournament brought 1,175 players from 45 states and 32 countries to Pinehurst. Golfers advanced to the eighth annual championship through qualifiers. Younger age groups played nine-hole, par-36 courses and older kids played 18-hole, par-72 courses. Yardage ranged from 1,300 to 6,000 yards.