UH-Hilo freshman Andrew Otani led part way through the third round Wednesday at the Pacific West Conference golf championships, settling for a fourth place in Litchfield Park, Ariz.
Otani finished at 1-over for the three rounds after closing with a 73. He was four shots behind the champion, Heete Yang (68) of Holy Names.
Otani carded 11 birdies in the tournament for UHH, which shaved 10 shots off its Tuesday round but still came up six shots short of champion Holy Names, which claimed the team crown at 15-over, in fourth.
The Vuls’ third-round even-par 288 was the second-lowest round of the day.
Senior Jared Kinoshita had his best round of the tournament Wednesday, shooting a 2-under 70. It was the third-lowest score of the day, and he finished tied for seventh and 3-over. Kinoshita had two birdies on the front nine and pared all nine holes on the back side.
Fellow senior Warren Miller also had his best round of the tournament (73) and did Taylor Patrick (72). Patrick was 8-over for the tournament and Miller finished 9-over.
“We dug ourselves too big a hole the first days,” Vulcan head coach Earl Tamiya said in a school release. “The 18th hole did us in, especially on the first day. It’s the little things that make a difference between winning a championship or not.”
• The UHH women’s golf team slipped one slot on the final day to settle into sixth place.
Freshman Kaelyn Uchida closed with a 78 to finish in a tie for 16th place at 22-over.
Defending champion Academy of Art, ranked 16th, cruised to a 20-stroke victory at 25-over. The Vulcans (113-over) finished ahead of Hawaii Pacific (128-over).
Carli Shimokihara’s 88 for the Vuls was 15 shots worse than her opening round, and she came in at 25-over. Senior Andi Igawa completed her solid career with a 79 at 28-over. Keely Kitamura (83) was the final scorer for UHH at 39-over.
Anahi Servin (73) of Academy of Art claimed won her second straight individual title at the Wigwam Golf Course. Her 1-under 215 was five strokes clear of the field.
