Kanda, a former All-Area Boys’ Golfer of the Year and a senior-to-be at UNLV, then double-bogeyed the 11th hole to put him a stroke behind.
“I hit a drive on my tee shot off to the left,” said Kanda, who finished in a four-way tie for eighth place in the stroke-play portion of the tournament Monday and Tuesday before opening match play Wednesday with a 1 up win against Patrick Duncan, Jr., of Rancho Santa Fe. “I then had a 15-foot putt to tie that I barely missed.
“On the 12th hole, I almost made a birdie putt. It ran by the side, and then he made a putt for par.”
Kanda, who captured the 2007 Southern California Amateur Championship in Riverside County, couldn’t catch and overcome Woods after he bogeyed the 15th and 16th holes.
“It was an interesting round, but just kind of tough,” said Kanda, one of nine Southern California residents who competed Thursday. “He just kept making putts.”
The quarterfinal rounds slated for today will pit top-seeded Geoff Gonzalez of Diablo against ninth-seeded Scott Oxandaboure of Carlsbad, 13th-seeded Sam Smith of Turlock against fifth-seeded Jason Bittick of Ladera Ranch, second-seeded Nick Delio of Valencia, who won the championship last year and is looking to become the tournament’s first repeat champion since 1955, against 10th-seeded Scott Travers of Trabuco Canyon and 30th-seeded Jeff Wilson of Fairfield against Woods.
The semifinals will take place at 1 p.m. today. A 36-hole championship will begin at 7:30 a.m. Saturday with the second round at noon.
Kanda, who didn’t advance to match play at last year’s event at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale and Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca Lake, will next compete in the 16th annual Sahalee Players Championship at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash. The 72-hole amateur event will begin Wednesday and conclude July 3. Kanda finished in a three-way tie for 47th with a 232 at last year’s event.
