It took 45 holes — including nine of the extra kind — for Kaiser’s Malia Nam to nudge past Kalani’s Miki Manta and win the Oahu Interscholastic Association individual girls golf championship Tuesday at Turtle Bay.
On the ninth playoff hole, the Fazio Course’s par-3 15th, Nam two-putted from about 25 feet to seal the victory. Manta’s tee shot went left of the green and her second shot failed to get on the green. Still with a chance to tie, Manta took out her putter and nearly rammed it in. The ball missed the hole by less than an inch and rolled 5 feet past, giving the title to Nam.
“I’m so tired,” Nam told her teammates a half-minute after she avenged last year’s one-stroke title loss to Manta.
Incredibly, both girls made high-pressure, dramatic shots to keep the match going on the seventh playoff hole. Nam was in a bunker short of the green and wowed the gallery of teammates, parents and competitors by holing out. She raised her arms, believing it likely to be a winning birdie.
But Manta wasn’t done. She rolled a 30-footer home to the hoots of the crowd on the Fazio par-3 11th hole fronting the ocean.
Two holes later, it took a rare mistake by Manta to end the long and grueling day.
“She played great,” Nam said. “I have not played a nine-hole playoff before and I’m sure she hasn’t either. Our games really showed out there.”
Nam entered the day’s second round in second place among the league’s competitors, one shot behind Manta. They were well ahead of the pack and Nam built a four-shot lead over Manta after 10 before going through a collapse that, fortunately for her, wasn’t fatal.
“I made some stupid mistakes coming in, made some really dumb bogeys,” Nam said. “I was stressed already. I didn’t think we were going to play nine more holes. I was tired, but I didn’t let it affect how I played.”
Nam will never forget that dramatic chip, which usually would be a winner. But Nam didn’t get that satisfaction right away.
“I teed off off and obviously didn’t hit a good shot,” Nam said. “Miki hit an accurate shot. I wasn’t expecting to chip it in, but I knew I had to get it close. I’m pretty comfortable in bunkers. I saw this one land where I wanted it to, saw it tracking for the hole and I was like, ‘It’s going in.’ ”
Nam raised her arms in celebration after it went in.
“I was like, ‘Wow. I can’t believe it.’ The whole time I’m making pars and chip in for birdie. It’s hard to beat a birdie. She made the putt, of course. What do you expect? I just laughed it off.”
Laughing was a long way from a year ago, when she cried after losing to Manta in a bid for a second straight OIA championship. With this win, she has two and could get a third next year as a senior.
“I definitely don’t like losing, so I don’t want to feel that loss again,” Nam said last week.
Nam and Manta finished at 3-over 147 after two rounds.
Kaiser’s Keila Baladad had the top girls round of the day with a 2-over 74 and finished in third place, eight strokes back at 155. She was part of the Cougars’ team title (466 as a squad) along with Nam and Sara Keppel (164).
The Kalani girls (482) took second.
OIA boys winner
Moanalua’s Jun Ho Won finished with a 4-under 140 after a final-round 3-under 69 to break away from Roosevelt’s Kolbe Irei by three shots and capture his second straight boys individual championship. He also led Na Menehune (602) to the team crown, along with Ray Kim (148), AJ Teraoka (155) and Peter Jung (159).
Kalani (638) took second place among boys teams, followed by Roosevelt (617).
“I shot under par each nine, which was my goal for today,” said Won, who won the Hawaii State Amateur at Pearl Country Club last month. “I am lucky to get that (second title). I just work hard every day. My teammates are great and we’re the best in OIAs.”
