Kua Wins Second Professional Title

LAHAINA – After four playoff holes, Kaua’i native TJ Kua and Shawn McCauley won the title and $3,000 in the 2013 Kaanapali Pro-Pro Championship sponsored by GPSi.

Firing an impressive seven under par (64) in the second and final round, Kua and McCauley worked their way into a playoff at eight under par with Maui’s David Braxton and Kyle Hayashi (67), who had a share of the lead after the first round.

“I have to say, we didn’t play all that well today actually and got off to a bad start – we just sort of ‘ham-and-egged’ it though and were able to cover each other when one of us was out of a hole,” said McCauley, a teaching pro at Pearl Country Club.

“The wind was tricky – kind of crazy at times so it was hard to hit my distances consistently.”

With the lowest round of the tournament today and a combined seven birdies and no bogies, they must have been doing something right.

Both teams made par on the first three playoff holes and head to the par 3 17th hole.

Kua and McCauley were first on the tee where Kua hit his shot to within 20 feet (right) of the pin. McCauley would follow and left his shot just short left in the rough. Braxton was next and as the wind kicked up, the ball fell short left and into the water hazard.

Hayashi then hit his tee shot a little fat and it too fell short into the water. McCauley would chip up and tap in for par and secure the win for he and Kua.

Veterans Larry Stubblefield and Andrew Feldman finished third.

McCauley and Kua won their first tournament together last year in the Nike 4-ball Championship, just after Kua turned pro after completing his college career at UH.

Said Kua: “This course is difficult for me in the wind because it’s a lot of right to left wind, and I struggled at times (Kua is a lefty).”

McCauley added, “The course conditions were great, though – the course played really great this weekend.”