Hara takes Mayor’s Cup title

Playing at a quick pace, Kyosuke Hara stayed a step ahead of his pursuers in the Mayor’s Cup on Sunday.

The Moanalua High School sophomore was the only player in the championship flight to post two under-par rounds in the tournament and secured his first title in a Hawaii State Golf Association event with a 1-under 69 on Sunday at Ala Wai Golf Course.

The 14-year-old played through some nervous moments as he pushed toward his first HSGA crown. But the tension was a welcomed playing partner on his way to closing out a 3-under performance in the two-day tournament.

"I haven’t won a junior title either this year, so it was good to have that feeling back again," Hara said.

Hara didn’t let the nervousness overtake his sense of calm during the round, a trait Jared Sawada — also part of the day’s final group — attributed to his up-tempo style.

"He’s a fast player, which I think is good because you don’t have time to think about anything, to let the pressure sink in or get jittery," said Sawada, who also faced Hara in a Manoa Cup semifinal match in June. "Just get up and hit it, go chase it and hit it again.

"He’s always smiling, he’s always relaxed. He hits a bad shot and doesn’t get mad about it. He doesn’t ever get in the cart and has negative energy coming off of him. He’s a good kid, he’s going to do really well."

Hara began the day tied with Michael Jay Sato atop the leaderboard after shooting a 68 in the first round on Saturday. He was 2 over after six holes on Sunday but steadied himself with a birdie on No. 7. After a bogey on No. 10, he played the last eight holes at 3 under, draining a 25-foot putt for birdie on No. 11.

"I was being pretty patient and I tried to play smart," Hara said. "I was under a lot of trees, my drives weren’t good, but my putting saved me. My iron shots and wedges were pretty good."

His game was solid enough to hold off Sato, Tyler Ota and Cory Oride, who tied for second at 1-under 139. Sawada, who already has four wins this year, finished alone in fifth another shot back.

Ota, a 2011 Moanalua graduate, played his way into contention with a tournament-low 66. After a four-putt double-bogey on No. 7 left him at 4 over for the tournament, Ota carded six birdies in an eight-hole stretch from Nos. 9 to 16.

"My putter just got hot after the ninth hole and it just kept going," Ota said. "I kind of got lost in it for a little while. I didn’t realize what I was doing."

A chance to further tighten the gap slipped away with a bogey on his closing hole.

"The second shot, I should have known better. The adrenaline just took over and I hit it too far over the green and scrambled to make bogey," Ota said. "But I played well, played really well from the ninth hole to the 17th hole. Hard to beat two under-par rounds. Kyosuke played solid and he’s representing Moanalua well."

The win also solidified Hara’s place in the top 12 in the Governor’s Cup standings with one event left in the 14-tournament series. He entered in eighth place with 527.5 points and picked up another 200 on Sunday.

The top 12 following the Turtle Bay Amateur, set for Oct. 12-13, qualify for the Governor John A. Burns Challenge Cup, a Ryder Cup-styled event between the state’s top amateurs and professionals. Those 12 also earn a chance to play in a qualifier in December for a spot in the Sony Open in Hawaii.

John Mun won the A Flight by one stroke over Neil Shinagawa. Sean Hamada claimed the B Flight and Daniel Danielson won the C Flight.