Maryknoll’s Allysha Mae Mateo scorched The Club at Hokuli‘a Wednesday, firing a 6-under-par 66 to win the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association King Auto Girls State Junior Championship.
Mateo’s final-round score was 10 better than what she shot Tuesday. She was the only girl to break par either day and finished at 142, five shots ahead of runners-up Claire Choi (73) and Malia Nam (74).
Punahou’s Evan Kawai was the only boy to finish under par. He also shot 142, closing with a 70 to beat Matthew Shen (72) and Zackary Kaneshiro (72) by three.
Davis Lee won the boys 13-14 division by 12 shots, firing rounds of 74-71. Karissa Kilby took the girls 13-14 title by 13, shooting 73-79.
The HSJGA received two slots for girls and boys in the Big “I” Qualifier, which was run concurrently. Qualifiers are Kilby and Alanis Sakuma, along with Kawai and Shen. The 47th Trusted Choice Big “I” National Championship will be Aug. 1-4 held at Del Paso Country Club, in Sacramento, Calif.
Pair will head to North Carolina
Randi Kim and Robert Choi will represent the Oahu Junior Golf Association at the 38th Junior North & South Championship, July 4-6 at Pinehurst’s 2, 6 and 8 Courses in North Carolina.
The tournament brings together nearly 200 of the top high school players from the U.S., with golfers from Mexico, Canada, England, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Australia and China also in the field.
Also, entries are available for the OJGA’s Pearl Junior Open (July 26-27). Non-members can email oahujuniorgolf@gmail.com for more information.
Pearl Invitational begins today
Professionals will join the amateurs in the second Pearl Invitational to be held today through Saturday at Pearl Country Club. Play starts in the morning today and at 11:15 a.m. the final two days.
Kyosuke Hara won last year’s inaugural all-amateur event by 10 shots, closing with a 5-under-par 67 to finish at 206. He is not in this year’s event, but senior champion Phil Anamizu will defend his title.
Spots open at women’s tourney
Slots are still available for the 60th annual Waialae Women’s Invitational, July 11-12 at Waialae Country Club. The tournament features five flights, low-gross and low-net champions and closest-to the-pin winners on all par-3s both days.
Golfers must have a USGA handicap index of 26.7 or less (30 handicap at WCC), as of June 1, and be 18 and older to be eligible. There is a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start both days.
Entry fee is $210.
