Kamikaze, Onoue top 2nd qualifier

Joe “Kamikaze” Camacho and Shori Onoue registered the best scores in last Saturday’s second qualifying round to determine the CNMI National Golf Team for the 6th Micronesian Games to be held here on Saipan.

Camacho, who was the CNMI’s best ball striker in the 2003 South Pacific Games in Suva, Fiji, ruled the men’s qualifier after firing a two-under 70 at the Coral Ocean Point Golf Resort.

The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. employee blazed the trail on the first nine holes with his 34 and then relaxed a bit but still wound up with a sterling 36 on the back nine.

Northern Mariana Islands Junior Golf League instructor Jeff Taylor finished second to Camacho after shooting an even par 72. The soft-spoken Duty Free Shoppers official recorded identical 36s on the front and back nines.

Refaluwasch Golf Association president Jess Wabol was five strokes off Camacho’s mark with his three-over 75. The former principal of Oleai Elementary School was good for 38 on the front and 37 on the back.

Recent Perth, Australia Johnny Walker Classic participant Sasaki Oliver was fourth among those who participated in the men’s qualifier after going seven strokes over the par mark at 79. He had a disastrous start with a fat 42 on the front before redeeming himself with a 37 on the back. Gus Camacho tied Oliver in fourth and fifth place with his 37 on the front and 41 on the back.

Tony Satur finished sixth in the second men’s qualifier for the Micro Games, as the baseball and softball legend came away with an eight-over 80 after identical 40s on the front and back nines.

Richard Pierce (83, 42-41), and Alex Aquinigoc (91, 46-45) make up the rest of the participants of the second qualifier for the men.

Onoue, for her part, had her swing working for her, as she registered a 45 on the front and 41 on the back for an 86, which was good enough to top the women’s field also held at the COP venue.

Aya Matsumoto and Johnny Walker Classic veteran Noriko Togawa were tied in second place, a shot back of Onoue’s score with their 87. Matsumoto fired a 44 on the front and 43 on the back, while Togawa was 45-42.

Togawa’s daughter Yuko also gave a good account of herself with a score of 93 (49-44), while Delle Grandinetti was the only other woman who participated in the qualifier and shot a 94 (48-46).

Eight more rounds from the white tee will be played in the following weeks, according to Wabol. He said after the first 10 rounds, he would reduce the field to eight players for each division and move on to the longer blue tee.

Wabol is expected to pick five golfers for the men’s team and same number for the women’s team a month or two before the start of the Games, which is set from June 23 to July 3 on Saipan.

The third qualifying round for the Games is set for March 11 at the COP. For more information about the qualifying rounds for the 6th Micronesian Games, contact qualifying round coordinator Jess Wabol at 288-1129.