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By Jay Leon Guerrero
Guam’s 17-year-old golf phenom Devin Hua came close to earning a spot at the Masters tournament next year in Augusta, Georgia. Hua travelled to Hong Kong to play in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships (AAC) at Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club with fellow Guamanian Darryl Poe.
Hua shined in the opening round and shot a 5-under par score of 65 to tie for the fourth position after the first of four days. Horrible weather conditions followed as the scores dropped, including Hua’s score. He finished with a three day total of 210 or 5-over par to tie for 27th place after the tournament was called due to bad weather.
Cheng Jin, China’s top amateur golfer, finished first after three days shooting a 199, 11-under par. A pair of Australians Ryan Ruffels and Cameron Davis each shot 10-under par for second place. Jin secured a spot in the prestigious Master’s Tournament.
“The weather made playing difficult in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. There was an oncoming typhoon and the wind was blowing up to 40 mph so it made scoring really difficult,” said Hua.
After a good start, Hua said he remained focused despite the bad weather. “I thought I’ll just stick to the same game plan and take it one shot at a time.”
Over 120 holders from the Asia-Pacific region qualified and played in the tournament. The top 52 advanced to the third round, Hua advanced easily; Poe was unable to advance with rounds of 77 and 81.
“This year’s field was incredibly strong so I had to bring out my ‘A’ game for all four days (well technically three) to have a chance at the title. I played with several of these players before and it was really anybody’s tournament,” said Hua.
Hua, who attends St. John’s High School in Tumon, will continue to participate in high caliber tournaments in the region. Hua said his long term plans are to play golf in college and eventually turn pro one day.
“I arrive Guam Tuesday morning and my next tournament is the Nomura Cup in Abu Dhabi two weeks later. My long term goal is to get into a good college and play for the golf team and then ultimately turn pro after a couple years of experiencing college golf.”
Hua said he learns from every tournament and intends to improve with the experience. “My short term goal would be to fix the little mishaps in my game and develop into a better player. I learned a lot and got accustomed to playing in these extreme weather conditions.”
Stay tuned to GSPN for Devin’s progress.
GPS Sports Calendar
March 2024
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for February
1st
ISA SOFTBALL
IIAAG MS GIRLS SOCCER FINALS
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL QUARTERFINALS
HS RUGBY PLAYOFFS
Events for March
2nd
HS RUGBY
ISA GIRLS SOFTBALL
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL FINALS
Events for March
2nd
Events for March
4th
ISA HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS
ISA SOFTBALL ALL-ISLAND COACHES MEETING
Events for March
5th
HS RUGBY PLAYOFFS
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS
Events for March
8th
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL FINALS
ISA HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS PLAYOFFS
Events for March
9th
ISA SOFTBALL FINALS
HS RUGBY FINALS
Events for March
9th
Events for March
14th
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
Events for March
16th
Events for March
17th
Events for March
18th
Events for March
19th
Events for March
20th
Events for March
22nd
Events for March
24th
Events for March
25th
Events for March
27th
Events for March
28th
Events for March
29th
- 31
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Events for March
30th
Soccer
ISLANDERS OUTSHOOT DOLPHINS
Uncategorized
4TH QUARTER SPORTS SET FOR TAKE OFF
Soccer
ISLANDERS OUTSHOOT DOLPHINS
Uncategorized
4TH QUARTER SPORTS SET FOR TAKE OFF
COMING SOON …
4th Quarter Sports
- Guam Marathon