Bradley Shigezawa battled back from a rocky road in the middle of his final round to reach level par on 18 which, when combined with his 3-under 69 on Saturday, gave him a 141 total and the win at the 2014 Maui Open at the Dunes at Maui Lani golf course in Kahului.
The Oahu golfer bogeyed two testy holes on the Dunes’ front nine: Nos. 8 and 10. He left his recovery pitch short after hitting an errant tee shot to the left side of the green on eight, then played out of “a crack in the ground” on 10, bogeying both.
But the indifferent pro got over it and managed to eek out the win in the face of a field that unfortunately failed to mount any real charge. It was Shigezawa’s to lose and to his credit he gave up no ground in the end, trying his best to pad his lead but only converting enough birdies to keep him even for the day.
It was enough. His closest professional pursuer was 25-year-old pro Max Bonk, of Waimea, whose 1-under opening round had him T2 when he, Shigezawa, and James Horton, of Lahaina, teed off. Another Oahu pro, TJ Kua, was also T2 and in the group ahead when their day began.
But while Shigezawa’s even par 72 forced the field’s hand, Bonk’s 1-over 73 would ultimately leave Shigezawa plenty of breathing room in the end, with the Big Island pro three back at 71-73-144 and with a sole second-place finish.
Only UH Hilo senior Dalen Yamauchi would card sub-70 score today with an event low of 68. In spite of this being one of his best-ever competitive rounds, the Vulcan would have too much ground to make up after opening with a 77 but would earn sole possession of third place (77-68-145), while Horton’s 75 left him five back at 71-75-146, and a fourth place finsih.
Andre Bedard, a LaVerne Leopard junior from Kihei, was the only other Championship flight player today to score under par in the final round, with a 1-under 71. Defending champion Garrett Okamura shot 75-76-161, and pros David Havens, Eliot Gouveia, and Cory Oride all shot 73s today.
Shigezawa won $4,000, Bonk pocketed $2,000, Yamauchi received $1,500 and Horton took home $1,200. Kua (77) tied for sixth at 148.
