King Auto Group Pro-Jr Skills Challenge

Five of Hawaii’s best junior golfers from Oahu and Maui were selected to participate in the 6th Annual King Auto Group Pro-Junior Skills Challenge on Tuesday, January 10 at 2:45 p.m. at Waialae Country Club’s 18th green as part of the 2012 Sony Open in Hawaii.  Junior golfers Zachary Takano-Braunthal, Alex Chiarella, Richard Hattori, Lisa Kang, and Eimi Koga will have the unique opportunity to play alongside the likes of PGA TOUR pros Ricky Barnes, 2002 Sony Open Champion Jerry Kelly, 2009 Sony Open Champion Zach Johnson, 2010 Sony Open Champion Ryan Palmer and the 2011 Sony Open Champion Mark Wilson in a fun and friendly competition benefitting the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association (HSJGA).

The unique patriotic theme of the 2012 event will include a message from Admiral Robert F. Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command and Thomas B. Fargo, USN (Ret.) followed by the lively sounds of the Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band.  The 6th Annual King Auto Group Pro-Junior Skills Challenge is free and open to the public.  Free parking and shuttle are available at Hunakai Park.  No backpacks are permitted.  For more information, please call 808.523.7888, visit www.friendsofhawaii.org or e-mail friends@friendsofhawaii.org.

 In order to qualify for the skills challenge, Hawaii junior golfers compete year-round, earning points at each competition sanctioned by the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association. Points are calculated based on their performance.  Accolades like Player of the Year also help juniors earn selection for this special honor.   The five junior golfers participating include:

• Zachary Takano-Braunthal, a 17-year-old junior at Punahou School who comes off of two strong performances in 2011. In July, Braunthal finished T10 in the W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek Golf Club in Minnesota, scoring rounds of 75-70-73. In October, he scored 69, 67 at the Oahu Junior Classic at Turtle Bay.
• Alex Chiarella who returns to the 2012 event to defend his first place title from the 2011 King Auto Pro-Junior Skills Challenge.  Hailing from Maui’s Seabury Hall, 17-year-old Chiarella won the 2011 Hali’imaile Tournament of Champions shooting a 66 and 70, with nine birdies in the first round. Besides golf, he plays varsity basketball, plays in the school band, and writes for his school newspaper. 
• Richard Hattori, the 2011 Hawaii State Junior Golf Association Player of the Year for the 15-18 age group, is a junior at Kalani High School. Hattori scored an impressive 65 at Kaanapali Golf Course earlier this year, and has scored 8 hole-in-ones in his junior golf career.
• Lisa Kang, a 16-year-old sophomore at Mid-Pacific Institute, was awarded Hawaii State Junior Golf Association Player of the Year for the 15-18 age group. Most notably, Kang scored a 74 and 71 at the Power Balance Tour Championship in Bradenton, Florida in March.
• Eimi Koga, this year's Hawaii State Championship winner, is an 11th grader at Moanalua High School. In 2011, she won her second consecutive OIA Championship and placed 3rd in the Callaway Jr. World tournament, shooting 4 under par.

Playing in the Pro-Junior Challenge is a goal Hawaii junior golfers aspire to as they compete through the tournament season.   “It’s the experience of a lifetime for the juniors to partner with, and  compete alongside PGA TOUR professionals,” said Charlie King of King Auto Group.

Each player from the five two-man teams hits two shots for the first three skill challenges:  Under- the-Banner 50-yard Shot sponsored by King Auto Group, Over-the-Bunker 20-yard Shot sponsored by King Auto Group and the Sand-Trap Shot sponsored by Kraft Foods Hawaii, with each of the 2 shots counting for points.  Each player is given a single attempt at the Challenge Putt sponsored by Monarch Insurance.  The Pro-Junior team with the most combined points wins the competition.

Hawaii State Junior Golf Association founded in 1998 provides an environment where any junior golfer, male or female (ages 7-18), can enjoy golf and progress at his or her own rate from beginner to proficiency, while promoting and preserving the traditions and integrity of the game.  For more information about HSJGA, please visit www.hsjga.org.

Friends of Hawai‘i Charities, charity sponsor of the Sony Open in Hawai‘i, is a federal 501 (c) (3) public charity incorporated in 1998 to benefit not-for-profit organizations serving Hawai‘i’s children, youth, women and needy.  Over the past thirteen years, Friends of Hawai‘i Charities, Inc., together with Sony Open charity partner, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc., has raised and distributed more than $11,000,000 to over 350 not-for-profit organizations. For more information, visit www.friendsofhawaii.org.