Japan’s Mina Nakayama came the farthest and, even at 5 feet, 100 pounds, hit the golf ball the farthest at Monday’s U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifier.
She also shot the lowest of the 22 who tried to get into this year’s Open, which will be July 5-8 at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wis.
Rounds of 74-69 at Waialae Country Club earned the 21-year-old JLPGA player her first Open invitation. Her 1-under-par 143 total was three better than Punahou junior Kacie Komoto (75-71). ‘Iolani freshman Rose Huang (76-72) was third.
Komoto, who won the state high school girls championship earlier this month, is the first alternate and low amateur. Hawaii’s Kimberly Kim got a slot in the 2009 Open as first alternate when there was a late withdrawal.
Huang was second to Komoto at states and second to Nicole Sakamoto in Sunday’s final round of the Jennie K. Invitational.
Neither could catch Nakayama, whose morning round was nearly five shots better than the 78.864 scoring average. Her afternoon round was scorching — until reality hit.
Nakayama made the turn in 4-under 32 and was 6 under after 14 holes. She and her caddie, Richard Ingalls, began to believe the Open was in their future.
She bogeyed three of the last four holes, but by then the wind and Waialae’s warp-speed greens had subdued everyone else.
Maryknoll eighth-grader Mariel Galdiano swore the greens were as fast as what she played at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, where she was the youngest in the field. The greens were 12 on the Stimpmeter, which measures speed. That’s pretty much what the Opens and the Masters try to play.
Some had less trouble than others. Nakayama has been playing on the Japan LPGA tour since she was 18. She has two top 10s this year, a third on the Asian Tour and a seventh on the JLPGA.
Waialae’s greens were not a problem, particularly since her afternoon birdies consisted of a chip-in, four putts inside 12 feet and one long bomb on the par-3 second hole.
Komoto’s short game was also up to the challenge. With practice time at a premium this time of year, she has focused on her short game with spectacular results. She thought she played better this week than at the high school championship on Kauai.
"The conditions were tougher and the course was harder (this week)," said Komoto, who has verbally committed to Northwestern for the 2013-14 school year. "At Wailua my putting could have been a lot better, but today it was pretty solid."
She is familiar with Nakayama, who struck up Hawaii friendships at the annual Asia-Pacific Junior Cup at Waikoloa and has trained here for extended periods the past few years.
Nakayama tried to qualify for the Open twice before, in Florida and California, and didn’t make it. Monday she would not be denied.
Galdiano and ‘Iolani senior Marissa Chow both shot 76-74 and tied for fourth. Chow is on her way to Pepperdine in the fall. Galdiano just got accepted to Punahou and will join Komoto and Allisen Corpuz on next year’s team.
