There was little doubt who would win the Jennie K. Wilson Invitational on Sunday.
The question of whether the tournament record would fall was all but answered by the time Mariel Galdiano made the turn.
Perhaps the only matter left for conjecture when Galdiano drained her par putt on Mid-Pacific Country Club’s 18th hole was how long the new mark will last.
Galdiano won the 64th annual Jennie K. with a three-day total of 10-under-par 206, seven strokes ahead of runner-up Ciera Min and five clear of the previous tournament record.
The Punahou sophomore eclipsed the record of 211 set by Amanda Wilson in 2004 and became the first winner to finish under par since Kristina Merkle won the third of her four titles at 2-under 214 in 2009. Hinako Yamauchi won last year’s tournament at 4 over, and the previous two champions were 8 over.
"The conditions were a lot different than what I was used to playing here," Galdiano said after signing for her 2-under 70 in the final round. "It was just really calm and the pins were in a pretty good place and I was hitting my shots more solid than I was a week ago. So everything came together at the end."
Galdiano won her second straight high school state championship on April 29 and captured her first Jennie K. title in her third attempt. She opened with a 69 on Friday, pulled away with a bogey-free 67 on Saturday and checked in for her tee time Sunday morning eight strokes ahead of Min, who just completed her freshman year at Gonzaga.
"I knew I had a big lead, but I knew I couldn’t give it away," Galdiano said. "I just remained focused, not attacking as much as I did the past two days."
She also knew the record would be secure if she stayed within sight of par on Sunday.
"I was like all I need to do was shoot even," she said, "but a few birdies wouldn’t be bad."
Galdiano did just that on the second and third holes and dipped to 12 under with a birdie on No. 10, extending her lead to 11 strokes. Her finish was rockier than she would have liked, with bogeys on three of her final five holes, but all that did was cut into her margin of victory.
Min’s 69 was the low round of the day, and her total of 3 under 213 would have been enough to win any of the previous nine tournaments. She returned to Hawaii on Tuesday and recovered from an opening-round 76 with a 68 on Saturday.
"I’m really happy with my last two days because I haven’t shot in the 60s this past college season, so it was really nice," Min said. "It’s been a long time since I played golf in Hawaii, so it was nice to just come out here and relax. I definitely think I was a lot more laid back."
Malia Nam and Rose Huang tied for third at 219.
Nam, an eighth-grader at nearby St. John Vianney School in Kailua, caught Huang at 3 over with an eagle on the par-5 16th hole. She hit an 8-iron to about 10 feet of the pin on her second shot and dropped the putt.
"I just wanted to show the older girls that I could play. I wasn’t just a 14-year-old coming in and playing," Nam said.
Other division winners in the tournament were Jeannie Pak (A flight), Yon Okinaka (B flight), Kyong Omura (C flight), Chom Kaya (D flight) and P.J. Salmonson (E flight).