Dunaway doesn’t let ILH title slip away

Kamehameha’s Spencer Dunaway knew he was tied with the clubhouse leader going to the 18th tee.

After a nice drive and a 59-yard flip wedge to 4 feet, Dunaway nervously stood over his birdie attempt.

"My hands were shaking. I aimed for the back of the cup and rammed it in," Dunaway said after finishing one stroke ahead of ‘Iolani’s Kengo Aoshima for the ILH boys golf championship at Turtle Bay on Thursday.

Dunaway’s putt put the finishing touches on a 1-under 71 for the day and an even-par 143 for the two-day tournament. The first round was held Monday at the par-71 Oahu Country Club.

A year ago, Aoshima edged Dunaway for the league title. They both came from far back after Monday to battle right to the end.

First-round leader Andrew Otani of ‘Iolani, who shot 3-under 68 at OCC, fell off the pace with an 80 on Thursday. He started the day four ahead of Dunaway and seven in front of Aoshima.

Aoshima came into the clubhouse with a 69 and sat at 1-over 144, while Dunaway was headed to the 17th.

"I knew I was seven back and had a couple of days to think about it," said Aoshima, who was preparing to leave for the airport to fly to Japan to play as an amateur in a pro golf event. "I shot 33 on the front nine and left some shots out there. It’s never easy to defend a title. I finished one stroke behind. Other people have felt like this when they lost to me, so I guess it’s my turn. Spencer lost to me by a couple last year."

Aoshima missed a makeable birdie putt on the 18th.

"I was 10 feet below the hole," he said. "On the previous hole, I saw too much break, so on this one, I adjusted and missed it by an inch."

Dunaway knew the ending was going to be close, too, and was told by his coach that he needed a birdie on 17 or 18. His 15-footer for birdie on 17 lipped out.

"It was a bitter feeling, a sour taste for a year," he said. "Today, I was able to get in position and finally close it out."

Dunaway said a practice round on the Fazio Course on Wednesday was a big help.

"We saw they had the blue dots marked to where the pins would be today, so my uncle (Heiney Fountain) took the flag out of every cup and put it on the blue dot and I aimed for that."

Many golfers and spectators talked about the tough pin placements in the corners of greens or near bunkers.

As for the girls, the competition was not close. After her blistering 5-under 66 at OCC on Monday, Punahou’s Mariel Galdiano started the day with a four-shot lead over Buffanblu teammate Allisen Corpuz.

Galdiano stretched the final margin to nine shots after her 1-over 73 that included one birdie and two bogeys. She finished at 4-under 139.

Corpuz faded with a 6-over 78.

"It’s great to win as always," Galdiano said. "But what’s more important is challenging myself. Today’s round was somewhat disappointing. Despite her score, Allisen was hitting the ball well. Her putter let her down."

Corpuz, who will be playing in the U.S. Women’s Open qualifying along with Galdiano at Kaanapali on May 9, said, "It was a rough day overall."

Many of the boys and girls golfers competing at Turtle Bay on Thursday will also be teeing off in the David S. Ishii Foundation/HHSAA Girls and Boys Golf State Championships at the Waikoloa Kings’ Course. The girls tournament is May 4-5 and the boys play May 7-8.