Punahou’s Galdiano looking to win third HHSAA championship

A lot of people, teenagers included, of course, sleep in on Saturday mornings.

Mariel Galdiano is not like a lot of people. At least three times per week, the Punahou junior is working, working, working in the gym. She wasn’t a full, buy-in fan of the gym when trips to the sweat palace began roughly three years ago. Now? She revels in it.

"At first, I wasn’t up for it, but now it makes me feel good," she said.

The workouts began with yoga, and now she’s doing a lot of everything. She’s never lost that basic foundation for becoming and remaining one of the top young female golfers in the land: stretching.

"It really gears up your body after waking up, trying to get loose. It’s the best thing to do and it prevents injury," she said.

This aggressive approach to what some consider a leisurely pastime isn’t just the advice of her doting parents (Roger and Marivic) or a year-round coach. For Galdiano, it’s personal. Passion. She hasn’t had an "outside" coach for three years; Roger knows every nuance of her game. He’s there to get her to each practice, every summer trip through the mainland. Yet the 16-year-old has a mind of her own.

"It’s more of being competitive and wanting to be the best. It’s a slow burning fire that’s always in there," she said. "I get it from both of my parents. Growing up with them was tough. Being the best is what they always wanted."

In many ways, she coaches herself. It seems to be working. She began playing golf with her dad at 51⁄2. By eighth grade, she was a four-time state junior champion. Since becoming the youngest golfer at 13 years and 1 week old to play in the U.S. Women’s Open — Michelle Wie was 13 years and 9 months old when she made her Open debut — Galdiano has gradually taken the controls of her future.

"It’s nice to see her mind is set on lofty goals. She has a plan on how to get there," Punahou coach Ed Kageyama said.

Comparisons to Wie, who also attended Punahou, are expected. Wie was rather busy during her teen years and didn’t play for the Buffanblu. Galdiano relishes the opportunity. She has won the past two HHSAA championships and is eager to win a third this spring.

"She enjoys having a good time with her teammates, doing a lot of things together," Kageyama said. "Traveling, eating together. It’s a good chance for me to give the kids some space."

Kageyama focuses on strategy and shot selection. As the school’s golf program director, he also works with middle school golfers, but Galdiano has been a unique prodigy.

"Sometimes being a good coach is knowing when not to say anything. It’s about repetitions and let them figure it out. I constantly challenge them, but I’m not changing mechanics. The season is so short. Whatever they have, we go with it," Kageyama said.

Galdiano drives off the tee 240 to 245 yards.

"When she swings, you can hear her compress the ball with her driver," the coach said.

Her approach game has steadily improved through sheer work ethic.

"She gets to the course and she has a clear idea, a plan of what to do," Kageyama said. "She’s really good at that. A good coach knows not to overcoach."

She owns the putt. It’s her putting skills that captivate many watchers. She’s at the point where repetition has turned into immense confidence. She is so elite with each putt, that there’s a blurred line between skill and instinct. It’s as much art as it is science.

"A good putter has a good approach, is very confident, can see the lines," Kageyama said. "They know what they need to do. It’s not going out there and trying to figure it out. It’s like shooting free throws. You get to the line and you know what you’re doing."

Galdiano is not a coach, but she does have a full understanding of how to coach herself. She keeps everything as fundamentally sound and basic as possible, and it begins in the mind.

"I feel like when it’s good, it’s good. When it’s bad, it’s really bad. It wasn’t just the putting, but my dad figured it out with my other mentors," she said. "Now I understand what I’m doing."

Anyone who has struggled with putting knows it’s a mind game of its own. Galdiano has mastered the art of keeping it simple, putt by putt by putt. It’s not about the arsenal.

"When I go to a golf shop, I just pick out what’s there," she said. "I feel like it’s how I’ve developed."

Kageyama enjoys talking about his golf teams, and especially his self-motivated state champ.

"When she’s on the golf course, she’s so mature, and when she’s off it, she’s a typical kid. I think she’s enjoying her time right now," he said. "What she’s going to do in college and the LPGA, we’ll know in time."

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

BOYS

Trey Johnson
Kapolei track and field

The 6-foot-2 freshman continued to advance swiftly among 400-meter runners. He ran the race in 50.17 seconds at the OIA West JV championships, which would have placed among the top eight in last year’s state championships.

Johnson, who is aiming for 49 seconds flat this spring, reduced his time since last summer from 56 seconds to 51, then 50.8 and 50.6 before Saturday.

GIRLS

Precious Paulo-Meyers
Nanakuli softball

She had three hits in three at-bats with a double and a triple and five RBIs in a 13-3 victory over Waialua on Tuesday. The two-time defending Division II state champion Golden Hawks followed up with a 12-2 win over the Bulldogs on Thursday, a game in which Paulo-Meyers went 2-for-2 with a home run.

NEWS & NOTES

High School Hall of Honor nominations close May 6

The deadline for nominations to the 2015 Enterprise Rent-A-Car/Honolulu Star-Advertiser Hawaii High School Hall of Honor is May 6.

A panel of independent members will select 12 student-athletes, who will be inducted into the Hall of Honor on June 7 at the Dole Cannery Pomaika’i Ballroom.

Seniors who are participating in an official Hawaii High School Athletic Association state championship sport are eligible for consideration.

Athletic achievement is given primary consideration by the selection committee, which also takes into account a student-athlete’s character and sportsmanship, other extra-curricular activities, academic achievements and community contributions.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car will present each inductee with a $2,000 college scholarship.

To nominate a student-athlete, forms are available at www.sportshigh.com.

THE TOP 10

Voted on by coaches and media from statewide. First-place votes in parentheses. Ten points for first-place votes, nine for second, etc.

BASEBALL

Also receiving votes: Maui 7, Maryknoll 5, Keaau 3, Leilehua 3, Kamehameha-Hawaii 2, Pearl City 2. No longer in the Top 10: Maui (No. 9).

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Also receiving votes: King Kekaulike 7, Punahou I-AA 6, Iolani 4, Kalaheo 3, Lahainaluna 1.

SOFTBALL

Others receiving votes: Lahainaluna 13, Kailua 3, Leilehua 2, Moanalua 1.