Hawai'i's David Ishii took third at the Fancl Senior Classic last week in Japan. The $600,000 tournament was Ishii's first senior event. He plans to play another the end of September.

Ishii turned 50 this summer and plans to play the Champions Tour Qualifying School in November. As a PGA Tour winner (1990 Hawaiian Open), he is allowed to start at the final qualifying stage this year.

Ishii shot 4-under-par 68 the first two days in Japan.

His final round 72 left him a shot out of a playoff for first. He won about $35,000, but figured he was two missed putts from winning five times as much. He missed three-footers on the front and back nine.

"If I can play similar and putt a little better I feel I can come close to winning," said Ishii, Pearl Country Club's director of golf. "I intended to come home after I was done on the regular tour, but now I've got a taste of it. I want to see if I can make one or two more putts."

Ishii returns to Japan's regular tour this week. Hawai'i's Greg Meyer is also playing Japan Golf Tour Organization events.

Meyer figures he needs to nearly double his winnings of about $80,000 in the final seven or eight events to retain playing privileges.

Ishii was one of the tour's leading money winners in the 1980s. He doesn't do quite as well these days, but is happy about Japan's new, limited senior tour and plans to use it as a "tune-up" for November.

"It's a different atmosphere," Ishii says. "People recognize who I was. On the regular tour I'm the old guy so a lot of people don't know who I am. Here, they knew who I was and I knew all the (90) players. I haven't seen a lot of them for eight or 10 years. The pace is a lot quieter and slower. It's more gentleman-like on the senior tour."