While big gusts of wind blew golf games to bits around him, Kyle Suppa picked apart Pearl Country Club for the fourth straight round Sunday. The Punahou sophomore breezed to a six-shot victory in the Hawaii State Amateur Stroke Play Championship.
Suppa slept on a four-shot lead Saturday night after a third-round 67. He woke up to 25- to 35-mph winds and never blinked, shooting an even-par 72 on a day when only two golfers broke par.
One was 2012 Manoa Cup (State Amateur Match Play) champion Matthew Ma, whose 71 pulled him into a tie for sixth with Punahou freshman Andrew Chin, at 1-over 289.
The other was two-time defending champ John Oda. His 70 was low round of the day and it pulled the Moanalua High senior into third, at 285.
Menehune teammate Kyosuke Hara (73—286) and runner-up Kengo Aoshima (74—283) were the only others to break par for the tournament. Moanalua’s Brent Grant was fifth alone at even-par 288.
None came close to catching Suppa — who finished at 11-under 277 — on Sunday.
"He’s just really consistent," said Oda, who set the tournament record of 19 under last year. "He hits it not that long, but fairly straight. He grinds for his shots a lot. He’s going to fight for every shot he can get, especially with the putter. He’s a good putter. Overall, he just has a quality game."
Oda’s first Stroke Play win came in his sophomore season. He went on to capture the state championship and help Moanalua become the first OIA team in 32 years to win a state title that year.
There were four Menehune in the top 10 Sunday. To win another state title they will have to get past defending champ Punahou, which had two players in the top six.
Suppa and Chin played in the lead group Saturday with Aoshima, an ‘Iolani freshman. None are old enough to drive a car, or a golf cart.
But they can golf.
Suppa was imperturbable. He birdied three of the par-5s in the final round, stretching his advantage to six on the 12th hole.
It was over.
"I was nervous," Suppa admitted. "So many things you watch on TV — people blowing leads. But you just have to make a game plan, get on the green on the par-4s and par-3s and two-putt and birdie the par-5s."
He acknowledged the best part of his game all week was his putting. He drained four putts outside 15 feet Sunday to more than make up for his three bogeys. He had par or better on all but three holes the first three rounds, but Sunday’s score, in such erratic gusts, might have been the best of the bunch.
"It was tough," Oda said. "You had to club up three or four clubs on short shots and it’s kind of hard to commit."
Oda trailed by 10 coming into the final round. His goal was to go bogey-free — he had four birdies, four bogeys and an eagle — and see what transpired.
"With the wind whipping you don’t know what can happen," he said.
Oda is headed to UNLV on a golf scholarship in the fall, but he already feels old just based on Sunday’s leaderboard. Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer Brandan Kop, who finished 11th, played in the second-to-last group Sunday. At 53, he was older than the combined age of his three playing partners.
Maui’s Raymond Tendo also shot 72 Sunday to capture the 54-hole senior championship. His total of 2-under-par 214 was four better than Mike Kawate, who closed with a 74.