Change is complicated.

When the U.S. Golf Association put an end to its Public Links national championships in 2014, replacing them with men’s and women’s Four-Ball Championships, the reaction was muted.

Public Links began in 1922, with the women’s event added in 1977 — Hawaii’s Lori Castillo won in 1979 and ‘80 — “to provide a national championship for public course players.”

The USGA determined two of its most treasured championships “no longer serve their original mission because of the widespread accessibility public-course golfers today enjoy in USGA championships.”

Besides, 13-year olds like Michelle Wie were winning on the women’s side and college players were dominating on the men’s.

“All the college kids were winning,” recalls Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer Guy Yamamoto, who broke the mold in so many ways when he captured the 1994 championship. “I was 32 when I won. All six matches I played were against somebody in college. Every time they’d come to the tee they had ‘Something’ university on their bag.

“I looked young enough. They’d ask if I was still in school. I’d say no, I’m a little beyond that now.”

So far beyond that youngest son Micah wasn’t born yet. Tuesday, he played with his father in Hawaii’s third U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Qualifier, put on by the Hawaii State Golf Association at Waikele Country Club.

This one ended like the last one, with Maui’s “Team Justin” — Arcano and Ngan — advancing to the National Championship in May at legendary Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.

Arcano started par-birdie-birdie-birdie and they finished at 9-under-par 62 on the modified Waikele layout. They had 13 one-putt greens between them, all inside 10 feet. The format counts only the best score of the twosome.

The Baldwin High seniors won by four over two other high school seniors — `Iolani’s Kengo Aoshima and Moanalua’s Jun Ho Won. Former Manoa Cup champs Brandan Kop and Tyler Ota were the only other team to break par.

Micah Yamamoto was the only other high school senior, in a field that also included about the same number of 50-somethings. Twelve teams entered, in stark contrast to the 100-plus individuals that used to show up for Public Links.

Ngan and Arcano, who wore matching Hawaii State Junior Golf Association shirts Tuesday, were among those 100 when they were “just little kids.” They have clearly learned to love Four Ball.

“We’ve got each other’s back,” Ngan shrugs. “If we have a bad hole, the other person covers it.”

They didn’t qualify for match play at last year’s national championship, which was a tough way to learn patience and persistence with their still maturing games.

“And those courses aren’t easy,” Ngan said, contemplating Pinehurst.

“It was real fun though,” Arcano added. “A really good experience. They treat you like pros.”

Watching their games grow the last two years has helped build Hawaii’s USGA Four-Ball foundation, which began with a bang.

In the first year, Brent Grant qualified on his own when partner Bill Walbert was called into surgery, firing a career-low 63. A month before the national championship, Grant and Walbert had to withdraw and runners-up Kyle Suppa and Kyosuke Hara subbed in.

The high school juniors were the youngest team in the tournament, tied for third in qualifying and Hara got the first hole-in-one in USGA Four-Ball Championship history.

Still, we won’t simply forget Hawaii’s formidable Publinx history. The state hosted six national championships — three at Wailua, two at Ala Wai and one at Kapalua Bay — and won nine individual titles.

Wie became the youngest champion in the history of USGA open events in 2003. Brothers Charles and Randy Barenaba won consecutive titles in 1974 and ’75, with Randy holding off Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer Allan Yamamoto in the final at Wailua. Dean Prince (1978), Casey Watabu (2006) and Kyung Kim (2012) also claimed championships.

Publinx was the one USGA event that always allowed players to receive travel expenses, which fed Hawaii’s passion for it in an extremely practical way. As a mind-bending bonus, from 1985 until recently, men’s winners received an invitation to The Masters, providing Yamamoto and Watabu with an unforgettable experience.

“I absolutely miss Public Links,” Yamamoto says. “I understand. They said it was like reverse discrimination now, that the public golfer has a tournament a private golfer doesn’t have the opportunity to play, but I think … it’s kind of sad they can’t figure a way to keep the fourth-oldest tournament in the USGA. Tweak it a little. Maybe college kids couldn’t play because when they are in school they are not really public golfers, they are country club members pretty much.”

Son Micah, contemplating a future as a pilot, hasn’t heard much at home about his father’s memorable week at Public Links. They shot 75 Tuesday and he is now back at Mid-Pacific for one more semester of school, augmented by his first year of paddling and fourth year of golf.

He does know his dad was featured in Sports Illustrated.

“Yeah,” Micah recalls, “I might have seen that.”