Nearly 200 golfers tee off in the Mauna Lani Resort Hawaii State Open Friday. Their goals could cover the island of Hawaii’s vast lava desert, but all share one passionate, somewhat painful, addiction: golf, in all its craziness.
Those serious enough to play in the State Open keep coming back for more. Nick Mason outlasted PGA Tour winners Dean Wilson and Parker McLachlin to capture two of the last three State Open championships in playoffs. Wilson won in 2012 and ’14.
Mason, a Leilehua High alum, played his college golf across the island at University of Hawaii Hilo. He will try to win his fourth State Open — here — this weekend. He has captured eight others, in four states, while chasing his dream the last few years.
Britney Yada, who graduated from Waiakea High, is back home to defend her women’s title. She just qualified to play on the LPGA tour next year.
This week is for fun.
“Of course, I’d like a win,” Yada says. “But being home by the ocean is my happy place. I’m just going to go out there and play golf.”
Last year she definitely had fun in the second round. Yada shot a career-low 65 and ended up beating 2013 champion Mari Chun by five. Yada’s 7-under par finish was the third-best women’s score in the tournament’s 54-hole history — after Katie Kempter and Michelle Wie.
Yada got an economics degree in 2013 from Portland State, winning the 2011 Big Sky championship. She can break down what it takes to be successful on the golf course and within her budget.
Since pulling the trigger on a professional career — “I did not want to regret not trying late in life” — she has made significant strides each year. She earned partial LPGA status earlier this month and will probably make her debut in April, after playing Symetra and Cactus Tour events.
What she has learned so far, beyond golf, is to live in the moment and enjoy it.
“Every year it seems like I make a step in the right direction,” Yada says. “I try to set realistic, but big goals at the beginning of each year. It’s an awesome feeling when I look back and see how much I’ve improved from year to year.
“If I could make any changes, I guess I’d say I would practice my short game a lot more. It’s gotten so much better this year, since I put a lot more time into it. When I first turned pro, I spent a lot of time on the range. But, it’s definitely a learning process, and golf is all about enjoying the process.”
If you don’t, the game will make you crazy, as everyone at the State Open knows.
This is Mauna Lani’s fifth year as title sponsor and it is committed through at least 2018. The $60,000 purse has drawn pros and amateurs from 14 states, Canada and Germany.
Mason and Wilson are back and play with Manoa Cup champion Brent Grant and Lorens Chan in the 10:03 a.m. group Friday. Chan, who earned the Sony Open in Hawaii amateur exemption at 14, is playing his first Hawaii State Open as a professional. He was an honorable mention All-American and GCAA All-America Scholar at UCLA and is heading to Q-School in Asia next month.
Other past champions back for more at Mauna Lani are Sam Cyr (2011) and Tadd Fujikawa (2010). Three-time winner Kevin Hayashi, a member of the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame, is playing in the professional flight at age 54.
Hall of Famers David Ishii and Casey Nakama are looking to add more to their list of senior titles. Dave Eichelberger, who won 10 times on the PGA and Champions Tours, is looking for his first title here. Scott Simpson and 2015 champ Jeff Coston are out with injuries.
