Kamikaze, Noriko lead qualifiers

Veteran golfers Joe “Kamikaze” Camacho and Noriko Togawa are currently leading the qualifiers for the 6th Micronesian Games.

In a list provided by qualifiers coordinator Jess Wabol yesterday, Camacho has the lowest average with a 71 among the men following three rounds of qualifying tournaments.

The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. employee shot a 69 in the first round of qualifiers and followed it up with a 70. He then fired a 73 in last Sunday’s 4th Annual Mt. Carmel School Golf Tournament, which served as the third qualifier.

Northern Marianas Island Junior Golf League instructor Jeff Taylor sits second with his 73 average, while Wabol himself currently is running third with his 74 average.

Taylor, who works at DFS Saipan, scored 73 during the first qualifier then came away with a 72 in the second before shooting a 74 during the Mt. Carmel School event.

Wabol, for his part, used his unorthodox swinging style to come up with scores of 73, 75, and 73 during the first three qualifiers. Wabol is the former principal of Oleai Elementary School.

Tony Satur (79 average), Gus Camacho (80), and Alex Aquinigoc (86) make up the rest of the players who competed during the first three rounds of the qualifiers.

Eight other golfers have suited up in at least one qualifier and they include Sasaki Oliver (79), Rex Palacios (80), Adam Hardwick (80), Jack Sablan (81), John L. Babauta (84), Louie Tilipao (86), Sang Kim (87), and Sonny Flores (92).

Togawa, for her part, leads the women’s rankings with her 82 average following scores of 87 and 77 in the first two qualifiers.

Shiroi Onoue is five strokes off Togawa’s average with her 87, which is based in the 86 and 88 she shot in the first couple of rounds.

Aya Matsumoto is in third place after firing an 87 and 92 in her first two outings for an average of 89.5. Yuko Togawa and Emily Santos have one qualifier each under their belts and scored 93 and 85, respectively.

Wabol reiterated that the fourth qualifier for men and third for women will be held tomorrow during the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands 5th Annual Charity Classic Golf Tournament at the Laolao Bay Golf Resort east and west courses. He said Micro Games hopefuls should tee off from the white marker.

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.

For more information about the qualifying rounds for the 6th Micronesian Games, contact Wabol at 288-1129.