WAIKOLOA, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Pacific University's Keita Okada and Ray Kim are tied for the individual lead and HPU is one stroke behind off the pace in third after the first round of the 2021 PacWest Conference Championships at the Waikoloa Beach Golf Course.
 
Okada and Kim are joined by Hawai'i Hilo's Dustin Franko who looped the par 70, 6,566-yard Beach layout at 1-under-par 69. The trio holds a one stroke lead over a four-way tie for fourth that includes the Sharks Ryan Torres at even-par 70.
 
HPU posted a 7-over 287 as a team, just one stroke behind the first place tie between host Hawai'i Hilo and Holy Names at 6-over 286. Academy of Art is in fourth at 293, Dominican is fifth at 307 and Chaminade sixth at 323.
 
Kim, a junior from Aiea, Hawai'i/Moanalua, was the most up-and-down during the day. He tore up the back nine with four birdies to make the turn at 4-under. He added a birdie at No. 5, but suffered four bogies on the front side, with back-to-back bogies twice to finish at 1-under.
 
Okada, a freshman from Tokyo, Japan/Bradenton, Fla. IMG Academy, had birdies at 11 and 17 with a bogey at 14 to make the turn at 1-under. He bogeyed No. 3 and No. 6 to fall to 1-over, but rallied with birdies at No. 7 and No. 9 to finish in the first place tie at 1-under.
 
Torres, a junior from San Jose, Calif./Evergreen Valley, opened with two birdies on the back nine (the men start on the back side in the championships), but bogeyed No. 1 and No. 8 to drop behind the leaders at even-par 70.
 
HPU sophomore Keli'i Kamelamela-Dudoit of Ho'olehua, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama and senior Tom Purcell of Liverpool, England/St. Mary's both added a 9-over 79 to wrap up the scoring.
 
Round two of the championships is set for 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the Waikoloa Beach Course. The tournament concludes on Wednesday.