Rarely has Hawaii had such a huge impact on a college golf tournament.

A week ago, three UH golfers finished in the top eight at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational. Hawaii took second at Leilehua behind 37th-ranked Brigham Young.

BYU freshman Rose Huang, a few months out of ‘Iolani, earned medalist honors.

Where did this all come from?

The Wahine, who play in next week’s Pac 12 Preview at Nanea, gave some hints. They won the Hobble Creek Classic to start their season, behind medalist Eimi Koga, who transferred home after two seasons at Washington. The Moanalua graduate is now in Japan preparing for next week’s Japan LPGA Second Stage Qualifying, along with Cyd Okino.

Huang might have surprised herself. She admits to "stressing myself out" at the start of the season, when college classes and six straight days of qualifying got to her.

"However, after my first round of midterm exams after our second tournament of the season, things got brighter because I realized that I certainly can both play a lot of golf and maintain good grades," Huang said. "Now, I’m having a great time with the team."

It did not take Koga long to transition back home. She hasn’t finished worse than 12th for Hawaii and was sixth last week despite opening with a 78. Junior teammates Raquel Ek and Izzy Leung finished fourth and eighth.

The Wahine, ranked 118th the end of last season, have climbed into the Top 100 and coach Lori Castillo is shooting for the 60s in the spring, and searching for a solid fourth score.

"Eimi brings the vision of winning and what is possible to her teammates," says Castillo, in her eighth season. "When three players are playing well it takes the pressure off somewhat and it encourages the rest to get it together and join in. Overall it creates a positive winning environment of striving for excellence."

Koga and Okino need to finish in the top half of next week’s qualifiers to move on to Stage 3 the end of November. Koga, born in Japan, has been playing tournaments there since she was in sixth grade and says the qualifying grind hasn’t been too "nerve-wracking" yet. For now, she sees it as part of her learning curve.

"My goal is to become a professional so this is just a little step," the 2011 state high school champ says. "I’m not planning on turning pro this year. I just want to see where I’m at and what I need to work on."

Over the next two weeks, the UH men host the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational on Kauai (Nov. 2-4) and the Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate (Nov. 6-8) on Maui.

Ronn Miyashiro is in his 18th season as the Rainbows coach. He was hired at 23, after Duane Pavao left UH midseason and interim coach Leon Schumacher told Miyashiro to apply.

"We went through due process and (then-AD) Hugh Yoshida actually hired me," Miyashiro recalls. "It was a strange thing. I graduated in December and Jan. 1 I took over. I haven’t stopped yet."

He was coaching teammates initially. Now, he mostly mentors some of Hawaii’s best juniors, with his teams dominated by local players. Scotty Yamashita (Kamehameha) and Justin Chu (Maryknoll) are his only seniors this season.

Hawaii finished 16th and 13th its first two starts this season and hopes for better on the neighbor islands. James Horton, from Lahaina, has the team’s lowest scoring average (71.8) and should be comfortable at Ka’anapali — he worked their last year after playing for UH-Hilo as a freshman.

Rainbow freshmen Cameron Kaneko and Sam Schwartz, both from California, have the next-best scoring averages. Miyashiro says the new players have provided depth and, more importantly, are pushing the returners.

He has seen that before, in his 18 seasons, but not always. He knows as well as most at UH — only Dave Shoji, Andy Johnson and Bob Coolen have coached longer — that every year is different as is every golfer.

"Success as a coach really has to do with me adapting to kids and not the other way around," Miyashiro says. "People ask all the time how I’ve lasted so long. It’s really the idea that I’m the one who has to change with the generations. People stuck in their own ways don’t last in collegiate coaching."

UH-Hilo is closing the fall season with this week’s Dennis Rose Women’s and Men’s Intercollegiate tournaments at Waikoloa. Wednesday, the women shared a championship with Cal State Monterey Bay. The men open pursuit of a five-peat today.

The Vulcans and Rainbows open the spring season in February at Hilo’s Amer Ari Invitational. That is followed by the 40th annual John A. Burns Intercollegiate at Wailua.