No matter what happens next week at the Hawaii State Amateur Stroke Play Championship, John Oda is going Vegas.

The tournament tees off on March 13 at Pearl Country Club. The Moanalua High School senior can become just the third in history to three-peat, after Damien Jamila (1990-92) and Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer Arthur Armstrong, who won seven in a row from 1937 to ’45, a period that included two off years because of World War II.

In the fall, Oda is heading to UNLV on a golf scholarship worth approximately $100,000. Oda earned it with a golf resume that began at age 2. That’s when his father saw John immediately get hooked on the game.

"I have not had the desire to participate in any other sport," Oda says.

Oda makes friends easily and has other interests, including ukulele and math "but I’m struggling in calculus right now." These last few years, however, have been dominated by golf. He has been a threat almost every time he tees it up, as a junior or with the big boys.

A year ago, on his home course, he took that to another level.

Oda collected 10 birdies in an opening-round 63 at state stroke play, his career low. He called it "marrying putting and ball-striking together" and says now, "I must have been in a good state of mind."

By Sunday, Oda had won by six shots over Jared Sawada, who tied the previous tournament record of 13 under par. Oda’s 19-under 269 was the best score by far in a legendary tournament that began in 1928.

Along with Armstrong, Hall of Famers Paul Spengler Jr., Allan Yamamoto, Wendell Kop, Larry Stubblefield, Al Souza, Brandan Kop, Dan Nishimoto, Guy Yamamoto and "Uncle David" Ishii have captured stroke-play titles.

Oda started working with Ishii, the 1990 Hawaiian Open champion, at age 9 at Pearl.

"The most important thing that I have learned from him," Oda says, "is to understand the game well and to play my own game."

Six years after they met, Oda captured the amateur qualifier for the Open now the Sony Open in Hawaii. He characterizes playing the Sony as "an exciting and exhilarating experience" and the best moment of what for all his accomplishments is still a very young golf career.

In 2012 alone, Oda played the Sony, rallied to get into a playoff at the Hawaii Pearl Open he lost to Korean pro Jun Won Park and won the David S. Ishii Foundation State High School Championship. That victory helped Moanalua become the first Oahu Interscholastic Association team to win a state title in 32 years.

Oda finished second to Kalena Preus in last year’s state championship, then carried Ishii’s bag as caddie at the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship, a Champions Tour stop that returns to Kapolei in September.

"All the touring pros knew Uncle David and they were very friendly to him," Oda says. "Corey Pavin shared a few chipping tips with us and we got to play a round with Tommy Armour III."

Oda has one more shot at states April 30-May 1 at Turtle Bay. But first, the three-peat next week looms large in a year where his focus is simple: "Improve and prepare for college golf."

Of all his golf accomplishments, he is most proud of securing the UNLV scholarship. Coach Dwaine Knight described Oda as having "a game that can possibly go to the next level after college," when he signed him to a letter of intent.

Oda is ready for what has to come first.

"I hope to get stronger," he says, "improve my skills, and compete well against the top players in the country."