By focusing on a short-term objective, Tyler Ota accomplished a longstanding goal on Sunday.

Ota took his first swings on the driving range at Ala Wai Golf Course when he was seven and developed his game playing those 18 holes.

Now the reigning Hawaii State Golf Association’s player of the year, Ota checked off a win in the Mayor’s Cup — annually hosted by Ala Wai — on his career to-do list with a two-round total of 4-under par 136.

“It was one I’ve wanted to win in a long time,” Ota said.

Ota checked in at Ala Wai on Sunday one shot behind former University of Hawaii golfer Scotty Yamashita after opening the tournament with a 67 on Saturday. He remained steady in swirling winds to fire a 1-under 69 and finish two shots ahead of Yamashita.

Ota finished second but six shots out of the lead at the inaugural Kauai Amateur a week earlier and shifted his focus from the leaderboard to a personal target for the Mayor’s Cup.

Although he came up two shots shy of the 6 under he set as his weekend goal, he did enough to pick up his second win of the HSGA’s tournament schedule.

“I noticed a lot of tournaments when I get in contention I kind of get stagnant,” said Ota, who won the Barbers Point Invitational in July. “It’s like I become too aware of, ‘I have to hit this shot perfect.’ (This week) it’s just go out, shoot this score and if you win, you win. It was a different mind-set this tournament and it definitely helped me keep a lot calmer.”

The new outlook helped him keep calm when his second shot at No. 10 hit a coconut tree and ricocheted 50 feet behind him to set up bogey and maintain focus after his eight birdies for the tournament.

He pointed to a 10-foot downhill birdie putt on No. 16 as a pivotal swing on Sunday. He took a three-shot lead when the putt dropped, gave a stroke back with a bogey on 17 and all but sealed the win when he chipped to a foot from the pin on No. 18 to set up a closing par.

Ota will next represent Hawaii along with Moanalua senior Jun Ho Won and Punahou senior Andrew Chin in the USGA Men’s State Team Championship set for Sept. 28-30 in Birmingham, Ala.

Yamashita followed his 66 in the opening round with a 72 on Sunday and lamented two three-putt bogeys after the round.

But his second-place finish helped solidify his place in the top 12 in the HSGA’s Governor’s Cup standings. The top 12 in the year-long points race qualify for the amateur team in the annual Governor’s Cup Challenge against a team of local pros. Those 12 also earn a place in the 18-hole Sony Open in Hawaii qualifier in November.

NCAA rules prohibit college players from participating in the Governor’s Cup events, keeping Yamashita on the outside for the last four years. Having completed his UH eligibility in the spring, he embarked on a busy summer schedule to earn his first berth on the team.

“That’s something that was pretty important to me this year,” Yamashita said.

Yamashita entered the tournament ninth in the Governor’s Cup standings and will move up with his finish on Sunday, giving him some breathing room going into the Turtle Bay Open, set for Oct. 21-23.

“I knew the guys behind me were playing (in the Mayor’s Cup) and I didn’t want to go into Turtle Bay as the No. 12 seed,” Yamashita said. “That way you worry about one thing only, just play golf.

“I’m playing well, I know I can play better. … I can see it’s starting to tighten up, my game is starting to become better, but still little mistakes …”

The HSGA added a women’s flight to the Mayor’s Cup this year and 12-year-old Kyra Tomita, a Punahou seventh grader, topped the eight player field at 12 over with rounds of 75 and 77.

Other division winners were John Mun (A flight), Dexter Chun (B flight), Robert Yoshimura (C flight), Carl Ho (senior) and Yong Ross (senior women’s).