Hole-in-one winner gets his due

Hideaki Yoshida and his family could finally take their long-planned vacation, after the 4th HANMI Charity Golf Tournament hole-in-one winner received his $20,000 check from organizers and hole No. 7 sponsor Shell Marianas last week.

HANMI chairperson Lynn Knight, HANMI golf committee co-chairperson Ed Salas, Michael Brazel, branch manager of insurance agent Takagi & Associates, and Shell Marianas commercial marketing manager Dede Rayphand attended the check presentation.

Yoshida, H.I.S. Tours vice president, was entered in the A Flight of the golf tournament held at the Coral Ocean Point golf course last April 2.

However, the 23-year Saipan resident didn’t care less how he finished the round after Lady Luck smiled his way on the 7th hole when he made the improbable hole-in-one shot.

He said afterwards that he has been playing the sport the past 31 years but it was the first time he ever hit a hole-in-one.

Prior to the 2005 HANMI event, Hideyaki’s closest brush with an ace came in the Tournament of Champions on Guam many years back when his tee shot came within an inch of the cup.

His only other golf triumph was winning the B Flight of the Johnny Walker Golf Tournament in 1989.

During the banquet later that evening he said the $20,000, minus taxes, would come in handy because he is planning to go on vacation with his family in his wife’s native Philippines.

Yoshida is married to Marjorie Yoshida and the couple has two kids, Ayaka and Masahide.

As far as the actual tournament goes, Ryota Murai won the Championship Flight after carding an even par 72, followed by close friend and longtime Saipan resident Joji Taguchi, who shot a two-over 74, and Jeff Taylor, defending champion of the Northern Marianas College Foundation Golf Tournament, who finished with a three-over 75.

Other champions include Jose Demapan for A Flight, Tinian’s Ray Dela Cruz for B Flight, youth golfer Anthony Camacho for C Flight, Noriko Togawa for Ladies Flight, and Jess Taitano for Seniors Flight.

Salas and Knight congratulated Yoshida for his hole-in-one feat during the banquet, which also served as the awards ceremony of the golf tournament.

Coincidentally, HANMI reported last week, during the $20,000 check presentation to Yoshida, that the event also raised over $20,000, which the organization said it would use in future tourism-related projects.