State high school champion Chan Kim fired a 5-under-par 67 to take the first-round lead in the Junior World Hawai'i Qualifier yesterday at Turtle Bay's Fazio Course. Elyse Okada and Kristina Merkle share the lead in the oldest girls division after shooting 71s.

The qualifier, conducted by Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association, ends today with golfers teeing off from 7:30 a.m. The top 22 among the 97 entrants advance to the 2006 Callaway Junior World Golf Championships, July 11 to 14 in San Diego.

Maui's Dayna Bersamin leads the girls 13-14 division with a 76. Honolulu's Bradley Shigezawa is first in boys 13-14 after a 69.

A field of 70 younger golfers is playing for 22 spots at MÅkaha Valley. Lorens Chan (64) and Kyung Kim (73) are first in the 11-12 boys and girls divisions. Richard Hattori (62) and Eimi Koga (66) lead the 9-10 divisions, and Sian Reno Rogers (65) and Allisen Son Corpuz (64) are first in the 7-8 divisions.

The final round begins at 7 a.m. today at MÅkaha.

39 ADVANCE TO NATIONALS

After Wednesday's fourth annual Optimist International Junior Golf Hawai'i District qualifier, 39 juniors are eligible to play in the national championship next month in Florida.

State high school runner-up Sean Maekawa, from Pa'auilo, shot the day's best score at Turtle Bay's Fazio Course, a 5-under-par 67. Maekawa, Max Bonk (68), Chan Kim (69) and Colton Knedler (69) all earned qualifying spots in the boys 16-18 division.

Löhu'e's Miki Ueoka, who was third at the state high school championship, was girls 16-18 division medalist with a 72. Elyse Okada finished a shot back. The top 10 girls in that division qualified for nationals, as did all three in the 14-15 division, which was won by Summer Mizusawa (82).

Other medalists were: boys 14-15—Jonathan Keiley (72); boys 12-13—Alex Chiarella (70); boys 10-11—Kalena K.W. Preus and Ryan Lloyd (76); girls 12-13—Marissa Chow (78), and; girls 10-11—Eimi Koga (78).

HAYASHI OPENS WITH 74

Hilo's Kevin Hayashi shot a 2-over 74 in the first round of the PGA Professional National Championship at Verona, N.Y.

Paul Ito of Kaua'i opened with a 79 and Maui's Brian Sasada shot an 80. Hayashi and Sasada played at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino's Atunyote Golf Course, while Ito played at the Shenandoah Golf Club.

The leaders are at 67, with 58 golfers shooting par or better in the field of 312.