Mizutani aces hole No. 3; wins 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander

From left, hole-in-one winner Justin Mizutani, tournament director Franco Santos, and Triple J Motors Saipan general manager Sean Ficke pose in front of the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander ES Mizutani won last Saturday in the 14th Annual Saipan Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament at the LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort.(By MARK RABAGO)

Justin Mizutani is the owner of a brand new 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander ES after making a hole-in-one last Saturday in the 14th Annual Saipan Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament at the LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort.

The 35-year-old Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services staff made the ace in hole No. 3 of the Kagman golf course’s west course. 

“I woke up early and I knew it’s gonna be a great day so I came out and supported the Saipan Chamber of Commerce golf tournament…Fortunately, I got lucky today and God is great and gave me all the luck and here we are standing here today with a brand new car,” he said.

Mizutani used an 8 iron with a Callaway Chrome X from over 170 yards out to make the hole-in-one.

“My group had a bunch of good players. So right when I hit it, we knew that it was gonna be pretty close. But when it disappeared on the green, we knew it went in. Then the green’s keepers—the ones measuring the closest to the pin—were shouting and raising their hands that it went in. But we kind of knew from the top because it disappeared,” said Mizutani, who’s been playing golf for 10 years now.

The 8-handicapper said his wife initially didn’t want to believe that he won a new car when he called her. She had to call her father, who also was playing in the Chamber tourney, and that’s when she confirmed the good news.
“So she didn’t really believe it at first and now I guess she’s happy. She’s excited for the new car,” said Mizutani. 

Triple J Motors Saipan general manager Sean Ficke congratulated Mizutani and his family for the spanking new 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander. 

“Today, Justin was able to hit a hole-in-one for a brand new 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander ES all-wheel-drive unit. MSRP on this vehicle is about $43,995. He was about 178 yards out and with the slope it actually was 176.4 yards which is about 530 feet. Actually it was a challenging shot as it was tucked behind a bunker. So it was a really great shot,” he said.

Last March, Triple J Motors successfully gave away a brand new car when John Terlaje aced hole No. 17 in the NMC Golf Open. He won a $60,000 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 5 SEL.

“This is the second consecutive golf tournament where Triple J is giving away a new car. We’re very grateful as this is what it’s all about. It’s about the community. It’s about the players and sponsoring. We don’t want to sponsor an event and not give away a car. So we’re very happy that this has happened. We want to congratulate the winners and hopefully we can get more players out for next year’s event.”

While Typhoon Mawar postponed the golf tournament, Ficke said it worked out well for Mizutani because if he won a couple of weeks ago, his prize would’ve been a 2022 two-wheel drive Mitsubishi Outlander. 

“But we sold that vehicle and now he’s actually getting a brand new 2023 all-wheel-drive unit. That’s what we have available and it’s a beautiful white with gray interior. It’s a very nice car,” he said.
Results of the 14th Annual Saipan Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament will be published in tomorrow’s issue of Saipan Tribune.