Yamauchi wins Jennie K.

Nicole Sakamoto has a Jennie K. Wilson Invitational title. By the looks of tiny Hina Arakaki’s huge golf game, she will probably get one — maybe before she leaves junior high.

The 63rd annual Jennie K. belonged to Hinako Yamauchi, who picked herself up after an early fall to breeze home Sunday. In a gusty, grueling final round in which the lowest score was 75, she was even par over Mid-Pacific Country Club’s final 15 holes.

Yamauchi, a 17-year-old from Miyazaki City, Japan, won by three shots over Sakamoto, the defending champion. Arakaki, a 14-year-old from Japan, was four back. She grabbed the first-round lead with a 67.

Arakaki shot 79 the final two days. She was three back of Yamauchi after two rounds. When she hit into the hazard on the next-to-last hole Sunday, she dropped to third.

Sakamoto (76—223) went into the final round four behind Yamauchi, who closed at 77—220. The Kalani High grad bogeyed the first hole, then birdied three of the next four and was suddenly three strokes ahead of everybody.

Yamauchi’s opening drive went left and so did her second shot. She missed the green from there and ultimately took triple-bogey. Worse yet, she got "scared."

Her problems multiplied with bogeys on the next two holes, then she was nearly flawless.

"In the beginning it was a little iffy," Sakamoto said, "but she got it back … like by the fourth hole."

By the time the final group finished No. 10, Yamauchi was back in first. More importantly, her wonderful rhythm was back.

"I tried to concentrate on my own play," Yamauchi said through an interpreter, "because there were so many strong players, like Nicole Sakamoto and Hina Arakaki. I tried not to worry, tried to relax."

Sakamoto double-bogeyed No. 8, missing the green and leaving her chip above the hole, leading to a three-putt. She bogeyed Nos. 9 and 10 to fall behind.

"That eighth hole," Sakamoto said, "just hit that chip way too hard. I knew I needed to stay below the hole and I didn’t. That’s the only shot I really regret."

She tried to rally, nearly acing the 11th and hitting the pin with her approach on the 12th, but it was not to be — for only the third time in three years in Hawaii.

Since 2011, Sakamoto has won six Hawaii women’s majors. In three other starts here — between finishing her degree and decorated golf career at James Madison — she has two seconds and a semifinal loss at the match play championship.

Sunday, she missed a birdie putt from within 5 feet on the par-3. The golf ball refused to stay down at No. 12 and she had to settle for a tap-in birdie. Then she three-putted the next hole for another double.

Yamauchi matched her birdie to stay in first, then cruised in with a no-fear putting game. She left one putt short all day; every other seemingly had a shot at going in. Her misses all ended up 3 feet past the hole, and Yamauchi simply stepped up and stuffed the ball back in.

She termed it the biggest win of her golf life. Her first birdie came at the eighth, in the midst of double bogeys by both of her closest competitors. She parred the next two holes to pull ahead and turned out the lights.

Two years ago, Japan’s Eri Joma became the first foreign golfer to win a Jennie K. since the 1970s, when players from Taiwan won five titles. This was Arakaki’s second start at Mid-Pac — she took fifth last year. Yamauchi has been contemplating the trip some four years, after learning of the tournament’s long history and taking in tales of how tough the greens played.

"People said putting here was really difficult, the greens were tough," she said Sunday. "But I have confidence in my putting. And today I learned that even after a big mistake I can relax and change what is going on in my mind."

Other flight winners were Mira Han (83—248) in the A flight, Susan Awaya (86—261) in B, Keiko Soeda (89—263) in C, Barbara Schroeder (97—290) in D and Diane Plotts (96—285) in E.