Punahou senior PJ Samiere surged into the quarterfinals last summer at the U.S. Junior Amateur. Sophomore Mariel Galdiano made her second start at the U.S. Women’s Open.
In the middle of all the detailed golf memories that inspired are two that don’t quite fit: Haagen-Dazs and luxury rental cars.
Samiere’s joy at being able to snag free Haagen-Dazs at the Martis Camp clubhouse in Truckee, Calif., during the Junior Amateur came close to his "cherry on top moment." That came when he lost to eventual champion — and Junior Player of the Year — Scottie Sheffler on the first extra hole. Golf Channel followed Samiere on the uphill, par-4 16th. He drove the green and broadcaster Mark Rolfing — from Kapalua — seized the opportunity to give the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association a shout out.
Galdiano, who won the state high school championship as a freshman, was ecstatic about qualifying for the Open. She was nearly as excited to see what courtesy car her parents would be driving, after cruising in a Lexus SUV two years earlier.
Those unexpectedly memorable moments are what next week’s sixth annual Asia Pacific Junior Cup hopes to create. The Ryder Cup-style event at Waikoloa Kings’ Course matches 16 of Hawaii’s finest juniors against 16 of Japan’s. Founders call it "an educational and recreational vehicle by which talented young men and women from different cultures compete in a positive and friendly atmosphere with the potential of creating long-lasting bonds."
Last year, Japan High School Golf Association executive director Hisahiko Inoue called the Cup a very long bridge.
"A friendly competition like this event surely helps the youth not only to brush up their golfing skills, but also to understand each other beyond the cultural differences," Inoue wrote. "We believe this tournament will become the bridge over the Pacific Ocean."
After a breakout year, Samiere has been looking forward to his first Cup since clinching a spot based on his results during the HSJGA season. That point list also qualified juniors for the Michelle Wie HSJGA Tournament of Champions in December.
"I think it’s really fun to play for something and not just myself," Samiere said. "I can play for Hawaii and that’s really cool. And I get to play with all my friends from golf, so that’s also a plus."
Samiere led the state high school championship after the first round, eventually finishing third and helping the Buffanblu to the title. He then qualified for the U.S. Public Links and Junior Am, reaching match play at both.
That experience should help next week. Golfers play in teams Sunday (best ball) and Monday (alternate ball) and singles Tuesday. There is a Junior Am on Saturday. The event benefits HSJGA and Waikoloa Foundation.
Samiere’s teammates are Tyler Munetake, John Oda, Ariel Elftman-Hanson, Keegan Loo, Kyle Suppa, Shawn Lu, Spencer Dunaway, Remington Hirano, Justin Ngan, and Zoey Akagi-Bustin, Kristen Le, Alanis Sakuma, Keilyn Ing, Kimberlie Miyamoto and Aiko Leong.
Five former Asia Pacific team members were chosen for Japan’s national team last year.
Former Hawaii team members include Marissa Chow, Lorens Chan, Alex Chiarella, Margaret Min, Kyung Kim, Seungjae Maeng, Eimi Koga and Ciera Min. All play college golf now.
"The playing experience gained from this event is invaluable for our team’s future in college golf," says Cathy Torchiana, former USC coach and a Hawaii co-captain with Mary Bea Porter-King and Jerry King. "This week our Hawaii playerslearn how to bond and play as a team. It is so important as they move on to play college golf."
Japan was won five of the first six Cups, probably not surprising when it picks the best players from 420 high schools nationwide.
"It’s just that the Asian team is a really strong team," says Samiere, who admits Hawaii’s juniors are anxious to win again. "We’ve been trying our best, but they just outplayed us the last few years. I have no real clue what the key is, but we’ve just got to play the best we can. That’s the only way we can beat them."
The matches can be followed live at hsjga.org.
