Murakami shoots 66 to take Mayor’s Cup

With a dozen golfers separated by just five shots, the 33rd Mayor’s Cup was a free-for-all heading into Sunday’s final round. Schyler Murakami seized the day for his most memorable victory.

The Pearl City graduate shot 4-under-par 66 at Ala Wai Municipal, the day’s best score by three strokes. Murakami won by two over 2014 Mayor’s Cup champ — and 2012 Manoa Cup winner — Matthew Ma, who closed with a 70.

Tyler Isono shot 69 both days to finish another shot back.

When Ma came in to post his score some 30 minutes after Murakami had finished, he grabbed the winner by the shoulders and grinned.

“You’re welcome,” Ma told him.

He knew the 22-year-old’s inaugural victory was well earned.

Murakami just graduated from Notre Dame de Namur with a degree in Business Administration and started his career in real estate. He had three Hawaii teammates on his college team last season (Joseph Condry, Caleb Keohokapu and Ken Miyata).

Since he came home in May, he has “played all the summer tournaments, but it hasn’t been too good — until today.”

Sunday, he collected five birdies and three bogeys, but singled out an eagle at the par-5 10th, where he hit a 192-yard approach shot to within eight feet, as the day’s decisive moment.

Murakami hit every green in regulation until the 16th. He got up and down there, three-putted the next hole for bogey, then had to get up and down from the bunker for bogey on the last.

His inspiration was a place on the amateurs’ 12-man Governor’s Cup team in November. He came into Mayor’s Cup in 12th place on the points list.

Ma is second behind Tyler Ota. Sunday, he lamented missed chances.

“I had a lot of opportunities, even going back to yesterday,” said Ma, who was a shot behind first-round leader Kyeton Littel after a 67 Saturday. “I just missed a bunch of putts.”

He vividly recalled a pair of 4-footers that stayed out Sunday, along with a birdie try that died on the lip at No. 17 and a bogey on the par-5 13th. He missed short birdie putts on the first three holes Saturday.

Still, the sales rep who will be 34 in December, found it hard to be disappointed about finishing behind Murakami. So much went right.

“I’m trying to play more because everyone is getting younger and I’m getting older and don’t play as much,” Ma said. “I told my wife, when the tournament starts it takes me 18 holes just to get back into the flow of things. That doesn’t happen for the kids.

“I want to be ready from the get-go. I had a good round yesterday and was in the hunt. It had been a while. I don’t think I’ve won anything since 2014. I’m always around, but it’s just hard to close it out when you’re not playing a lot.”

Kalani’s Michelle Kim, 16, won the second year of the women’s flight, closing with a 76 for a 149 total. Tagiralani Luafalealo (77), a sophomore at Moanalua, was two back. Her 13-year-old sister Catherine took low-net honors at 147. The senior women’s flight was won by Debra Murobayashi, who had a low-net score of 133.

Mike Kawate (74—142) won the senior men’s flight, with Calvin Shiroma taking low-net honors at 134. The A flight champion was Mason Nakamura (71—143), and Nick Lee (81—156) and Lin Akiyama (78—156) finished on top of B flight.