ISLE FILE
McLachlin opens with 9-under 63
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Advertiser Staff
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Honolulu's Parker McLachlin shot a 9-under-par 63 yesterday to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Nationwide Tour's National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic in Bridgeport, W.Va.
McLachlin, a 28-year-old PGA Tour rookie, had nine birdies and no bogeys.
"I made about three 30-foot putts for birdie and that always helps the scorecard," McLachlin said in a story on the PGA's Web site, referring to putts on Nos. 4, 5 and 18. "Everything was going right. I hit the ball well, put it on the greens and made the putts. I didn't want it to end. It seemed so easy."
It hasn't been an "easy" season for the Punahou School alum, who completed the regular season of the PGA Tour ranked No. 158 in the FedExCup point standings and missed out on being among the 144 players who qualified for the first-ever playoffs.
"The essence of the game is still hitting fairways and greens and making putts," said McLachlin, who hit 12 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation yesterday. "I may have lost some of that this year playing the tour for the first time. Everything is so magnified out there and I haven't handled it as well as I had hoped."
McLachlin is looking forward to the seven-event Fall Finish as a chance to secure his card for 2008.
"I've got seven events left out on tour to get my card," said McLachlin, who has made 10 of 21 cuts this season with $303,032 in earnings. "I'm using this week as a stepping stone to put together a good showing in the Fall Finish."
BASKETBALL
UH SCHEDULE RELEASED
Bob Nash's first schedule as the University of Hawai'i men's basketball coach includes four opponents that played in the NCAA Tournament last season.
Illinois, Long Beach State, Nevada and New Mexico State — three of which will play at the Stan Sheriff Center — highlight the 2007-08 Rainbow Warriors' schedule announced yesterday.
UH will open with the University of San Diego Nov. 9 and host Illinois Nov. 16. Long Beach State visits Dec. 9 while UH plays home-and-home games with Western Athletic Conference members Nevada and New Mexico State.
The Dec. 19-22 Rainbow Classic includes Georgia, St. John's, St. Mary's, Tulane, East Tennessee State, Ohio, Louisiana-Lafayette and UH.
ELECTRICIANS WIN
Bobby Nash scored 20 points as Electricians Hawai'i beat Central Medical Clinic, 88-85, last night in the championship game of the NCAA Summer League.
Kauna'oa McGee scored 25 for Central Medical Clinic.
BOXING
ESCALANTE ELIMINATED
Qa'id Muhammad of Atlantic City, N.J., eliminated Waimanalo's Bruno Escalante, 29-20, yesterday in the flyweight (112-pound) challengers' bracket at the U.S. Olympic Boxing Trials in Houston.
Muhammad advances to face Aaron Alafa of Visalia, Calif., for the championship.
Muhammad held a 12-9 advantage midway against Escalante, and built a 21-15 edge as the fourth round began.
"He came with a good game plan, he was coming strong," Muhammad said of Escalante. "I had to feel him out first before I started doing anything."
Winners of the 11 weight divisions will represent the U.S. at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
VOLLEYBALL
HPU DROPS OPENER
Megan Thigpen had 19 kills as Alaska-Fairbanks beat Hawai'i Pacific, 34-32, 30-22, 28-30, 30-26, yesterday at the Hawaiian Style Classic in Hilo.
Cari Kahn had 13 kills and Antje Buskies 11 for the Sea Warriors (0-1), who had leads of 7-1 in the first game and 9-4 in the second.
Competition continues today, with HPU, Hawai'i-Hilo and Chaminade seeing action.
SOCCER
UH-HILO TEAMS LOSE
Despite outshooting host San Francisco State 19-9, the Hawai'i-Hilo men's soccer team opened its season with a 3-2 loss yesterday.
"We did what we wanted to," Hilo coach Gordon Inouye said, "which is to control the ball and the tempo of the game. We built it up, kept moving the ball around very well and we just need to pick up the pace that we play and that should create a lot more opportunities for us."
Hilo fell behind 3-0 before Luis Lanz and Alex Sanders scored in the closing minutes.
Elsewhere, Sarah Martinez scored two goals as 12th-ranked Seattle Pacific beat visiting Hilo, 4-0, in a women's match.
Seattle Pacific outshot Hilo 24-1.
ALOHA STADIUM
CHANG CHIEF OF SECURITY
Andrew Chang has been hired as chief of security at Aloha Stadium, manager Scott Chan announced yesterday.
Chang, 45, spent the past 17 years as a security officer at the University of Hawai'i and as a part-time officer at the stadium. Previously, he spent five years as a corrections officer.
"He (Chang) comes to us with excellent credentials, and we're glad to have him as part of our Aloha Stadium ohana," Chan said in a press release.
