For the past 37 years, the Hawaii State Amateur Championship has been one of the rare local golf tournaments to run four days. This year’s 54th edition could have gone three and still had the same champions.
Most leaders took a comfortable advantage into Sunday’s final round at Pearl Country Club and all held on, with varying degrees of drama.
Moanalua High School senior Jun Ho Won was unhappy with his even-par 72 in ideal conditions in the final round. He still finished with a six-shot victory over Mid-Pacific Institute senior Zackary Kaneshiro for the overall championship.
Kaneshiro was just three back after birdies on two of the first five holes. He would have just one more and also closed with a 72 to finish at 7-under-par 281.
“I was just trying to keep fighting for as many birdies as possible out here,” said Kaneshiro, who led after an opening-round 66. “The course was definitely scoreable. It wasn’t playing as hard as last year.”
Won, headed to Boise State in the fall, was 13 under heading into the final round. His friends let him know — loudly — that he had a legitimate shot at the tournament record of 19 under, shot by former Na Menehune John Oda four years ago.
It wasn’t to be, in a Hawaii State Golf Association major that dates back to 1928, when winning scores were in the 300s.
But for three days, Won was often wondrous and he stayed solid Sunday. He played the par-5s in 11 under overall and his putting was all but flawless. He drained three from 12 feet in the final round — for birdie on the sixth and two for par later — to help keep himself calm and in control.
“I was scoring for sure,” he said of his week. “Today I had three birdies, so I had 22 birdies total and one eagle. But, I only shot 13 under so that explains some of the bad holes I had.”
Kaneshiro, who will play for Santa Clara in the fall, was the only golfer within 13 of Won heading into the final round. Defending champ Kyle Suppa, now a USC freshman, had the day’s low round (69) to finish third, 12 back. Tyler Ota’s 71 moved him into a tie for fourth with MPI freshman Davis Lee, at 290.
Won called his State Am win the biggest of his career, which has featured several breakthroughs in the past year.
In contrast, ‘Iolani eighth-grader Kyung Eun Lee introduced herself as a legitimate threat by winning the women’s flight by four shots over Florida State sophomore Dominika Gradecka, who has played on the Polish National Team since 2009.
Lee took an eight-shot lead into the final round and won with ease despite a final- round 84. She finished at 313, while Gradecki fired 80 on the last day of her working vacation from the Seminole team.
“The first (75) and third day (73) were pretty OK,” said Lee, 13. “Putting was pretty good. And then when they cut the greens it got harder. I adjusted. Today, it was kind of rough because of a lot of stuff.”
Miki Manta won last year’s inaugural Women’s Flight as a Kalani sophomore and went on to capture the OIA championship. Lee hasn’t even started high school, but soaked up everything she could the last four days to help prepare herself, including how NOT to act.
“I learned just get over it when you are frustrated,” she said. “You can’t keep that grudge or else it will mess you up in your mind even more. You have to just stay calm and … breathe.”
Hawaii’s Nick Ushijima (75—295) won the Mid-Amateur Flight by four shots over Tyler Isono (78). Japan’s Mikio Shimura (71—214) was the only golfer to finish under par in the senior men’s flight, winning by two over Kauai’s Jonathan Ota (71).
Mira Han (80—243) captured the Women’s Senior Flight for the second time in as many years, by two shots over Uta McLin (77).
Won and Shimura won $500 PCC merchandise certificates for first. Ushijima received a $400 certificate, Lee $300 and Han $200.
Won also earned an exemption into the 51st Pacific Coast Amateur, July 18-21 at Chambers Bay — site of the 2015 U.S. Open.
