Galdiano’s Junior World title is latest in a magical year

Mariel Galdiano’s year of living large on the golf course lived on last week. The Punahou sophomore, who won the state high school championship in May, became the third girl from Hawaii to capture the oldest age division at the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships.

Galdiano blew by the field, breaking par at Torrey Pines North all four days, in La Jolla, Calif. She won by seven shots, with a total of 9-under-par 279.

Mari Chun (2004) and Debbie Spencer (1975) are the others from Hawaii to win the Girls 15-17 flight. Charles Barenaba won the Boys 15-17 in 1968 — the first year — and 1971. Brother Randy won in 1973.

Jan Kotoshirodo is the only Hawaii golfer with three Junior World titles, winning Girls 9-10 in 1985 and ’86, and 11-12 the following year. Ralden Chang (1977-78), Elisha Au (1988-89) and Eimi Koga (2009-10) have won consecutive titles.

Galdiano turned 15 last month, a few days before teeing off in her second U.S. Women’s Open.

"The biggest difference between the two events is the Open was more prestigious and competitive and the course was way more difficult," Galdiano said. "It helped me a lot when adjusting to Torrey."

This week, Galdiano and Hansol Koo are playing in the AJGA’s Bob Jones Junior Championship, at Yorba Linda (Calif.) Country Club. Galdiano plays in the 38th Junior PGA, at Trump National in Washington, D.C., beginning Tuesday. Punahou teammate Allisen Corpuz, Brittany Fan and John Oda are also playing.

Galdiano’s final week on the mainland finds her at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, Aug. 5-11 at the Country Club of Charleston, S.C. Fan and Kacie Komoto, who won the State Women’s Match Play title last week, also qualified for the amateur.

Sakamoto searching for rarified air

Nicole Sakamoto will try to make history at this year’s State Women’s Stroke Play Championship, which tees off Tuesday at Mid-Pacific Country Club.

Sakamoto held off Cassy Isagawa last year to win her third consecutive title, setting a scoring record (6-under-par 210) in the process. Only Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer Joan Damon had won three straight before. Damon won the second and third stroke play titles, in 1963 and ’64. She won three more, from 1969-71.

There were no tournaments the four years in between so, officially, Damon won five tournaments in a row. But no one has won four years in a row.

Sakamoto will try to accomplish that in what might be her final amateur event. She graduated from James Madison last year and contemplated turning pro. Instead, she has worked and trained with Lance Suzuki — another Hall of Famer — at Olomana Golf Links.

She is planning to leave for California Aug. 22 for Stage I of LPGA Qualifying, at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.

Isagawa is not in stroke play this year. The 2010 state high school champion, who graduated from Baldwin, is focusing on next weekend’s Maui Open.

The first two days of the tournament will determine Hawaii’s team in the USGA Women’s State Team Championship. Golfers tee off from approximately 9 a.m. each day.

Laszlo in local Champions Tour event

Punahou junior Colin Laszlo has been selected to play in the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. The Champions Tour event is Sept. 27-29 and will be shown on Golf Channel.

Laszlo is a member of First Tee Hawaii, one of 188 chapters around the country and in a few international locations. He will join 80 other juniors from First Tee chapters for the event, which is in its 10th year.

Laszlo was selected by a national panel of judges who evaluated "playing ability and comprehension of the life skills and character education" learned through involvement with First Tee.

Laszlo and the other juniors will team with Champions Tour players and 162 amateurs as they compete for the pro-junior title.

Local golfer picked for Junior Solheim Cup

Former Hawaii State Junior Golf Association member Alexandra Kaui is one of Kathy Whitworth’s two captain’s picks for this year’s Ping Junior Solheim Cup U.S. Team. The first 10 girls were selected based on the AJGA’s Polo Golf Rankings and the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Girls Rankings.

Kaui, who now lives in Las Vegas, is 14th in the Polo rankings and is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American. She has committed Oklahoma.

The junior cup will be Aug. 12-14 at The Inverness Golf Club in Englewood, Colo., with the 12 top Americans taking on a European team. The U.S. leads the series 3-2-1. The Solheim Cup is Aug. 16-18, at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo.

NOTES

» Honolulu’s Aiko Leong finished 14th at the Ryan Moore Junior Championship earlier this month in Washington. Leong, a Punahou sophomore, shot rounds of 81-77-73.

» ‘Iolani graduate Lorens Chan, who will be a sophomore at UCLA, tied for 15th at the 20th Sahalee Players Championship this month in Sammamish, Wash. Chan was even par before firing 79 the final round. He finished at 7-over 295. Other Hawaii players in the tournament were Taeksoo Kim (74—297, T27), Justin Keiley (75—299, T33) and David Fink (76—300, T38).