UNLV golfer John Oda starts memorable week with hole-in-one

John Oda prefers to stay away from golf courses during winter breaks to regroup for the college season with UNLV.

Oda returned to his home in Hawaii for the holidays, but this year the Rebel junior decided to participate in a PGA Tour tournament.

“I usually like to take time off and be with my family, but I’m already a junior and I want to start looking ahead to the pro game,” Oda said. “I want to gain exposure and attract attention for myself.”

The best way to gain attention might be to make a hole-in-one, but the chances of that happening for an amateur are 12,500 to 1. Oda beat the odds.

Oda recorded his ace during the Sony Open’s qualifier round last Monday at Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. That was the start of a memorable week for Oda, who won the qualifier with a 6-under 66 and got to compete in his second PGA Tour tournament.

“It was actually unbelievable,” Oda said about the hole-in-one on the seventh hole. “A lot of things need to go right for that to happen and there’s a lot of luck involved. That was actually my second hole-in-one. I got one during a practice round last year. This is my first one in a tournament. It was a very special moment.”

Oda, who was one of two amateurs to participate in the Sony Open, didn’t make the cut into the weekend, but still shot a 1-under with scores of 70 and 69 at the Waialae Golf Course in Honolulu.

The Honolulu native participated in the 2012 Sony Open when he was 15 years old. Oda said he was nervous to compete against the best golfers in the world five years ago.

“I was going up against my favorite golfers like (Hideki) Matsuyama and it was a lot to take in at 15 years old,” said Oda, who’s ranked No. 22 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. “I’ve grown a lot since then. I just focused on myself and made sure to have fun out there.”

Oda wasn’t the only UNLV product in the PGA Tour event last week. Former Rebels Chad Campbell and Andres Gonzales were also part of the Sony Open field.

Oda, who majors in economics, said he felt relaxed going into the qualifier round after speaking with former UNLV teammate Kurt Kitayama, who competed in the Shriners Open in November.

“He just told me to play my game and don’t give myself added pressure,” Oda said. “I love the relationships I have built at UNLV. It’s been a fun few years and I’m looking forward to the season.”

The Rebels open the 2017 season in Hawaii at the John Burns Intercollegiate tournament on Feb. 15.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Junior guard Brooke Johnson was named the Outstanding Rebel of the Week for her standout performances in victories against Boise State and Utah State on Jan. 4 and Jan. 7.

Johnson scored a combined 38 points with 11 rebounds, five assists and seven steals during the two victories.

MEN’S SOCCER

Five Rebels were named to the Academic All-WAC team.

Oscar Velazquez earned his third consecutive honor while Cody Massey was named all-academic for the second straight year. Making their first appearance on the team are a trio of sophomores, Enrique Adame, Adam Musovski and Kieran Mills.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must have completed at least one academic year, have at least a 3.2 cumulative grade points average and have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s contests.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.