On the Links: The year in Hawaii Golf

Hawaii golf covered a vast landscape this year. As the PGA Tour descends next month, a quick look back is all it takes to see how diverse the game can be:

>> Mililani’s Kate Nakaoka — not yet a teenager — will go to next year’s Masters. She became the first from Hawaii to qualify for the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship played at Augusta the Sunday before the year’s first major.

>> Brigham Young-Hawaii won its last Pacific West Conference golf championship, days before the school shut down its athletic program.

>> Justin Thomas opened 2017 with a dramatic win over Hideki Matsuyama at Kapalua’s Tournament of Champions. He fired 59 next time up, in a record-setting tear through the Sony Open in Hawaii. It was just the start of a remarkable season for the PGA Tour Player of the Year.

>> Thomas is two years younger than Tadd Fujikawa, who ended his year by winning last weekend’s Mauna Lani Resort Hawaii State Open. It was Fujikawa’s first victory since the 2010 State Open.

That came four years after he was the youngest U.S. Open qualifier ever, and three years after he made the Sony Open cut four days after his 16th birthday.

He will focus on Monday qualifiers next year, including the Sony Open, where he has a trio of top-35 finishes. “Hopefully I’ll get in and win the damn thing,” Fujikawa said. “That would make it so much easier.”

>> Two-time Hawaii state high school champions Lorens Chan and John Oda be at Sony or on the Web.com Tour. They reached the final qualifying stage, but a tough last round left both with conditional status.

>> State Open women’s champ Britney Yada is back on the Symetra Tour in 2018, after losing her LPGA privileges. She is serious about getting those back. “Playing the LPGA Tour,” Yada says, “is probably the most fun I’ve ever had.”

>> The year also ended with the city officially requesting proposals to “design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Ala Wai Golf Course driving range.” The city hopes a range partnership will help perpetuate municipal golf — and golf in general — by bringing in more money so it can improve all six courses.

Topgolf, which just opened its 40th multi-level “sports-entertainment complex,” was the only one to request information when the city first brought the subject up two years ago. Proposals for the enhanced driving range are due Jan. 31.

2017 HAWAII GOLF CHAMPIONS

JANUARY

SBS Tournament of Champions—Justin Thomas

Sony Open Monday Qualifier—John Oda, Jared Sawada, Tadd Fujikawa and John Chin

Acura Hawaii Pro-Junior Skills Challenge—Justin Arcano and Camillo Villegas

Sony Open in Hawaii—Justin Thomas

Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai—Bernhard Langer

FEBRUARY

26th annual Amer Ari Intercollegiate—Texas Tech and Rico Hoey (USC), Jared du Toit (ASU) and Fredrik Nilehn (Texas Tech)

41st annual John A. Burns Intercollegiate—Virginia and Chandler Phillips (Texas A&M)

10th annual HSGA Four Ball—Tyler Ota and David Saka, Claire Choi and Alanis Sakuma (Women)

MARCH

32nd annual Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational—Texas A&M and Maddie Szeryk (Texas A&M)

54th Hawaii State Amateur Stroke Play Championship—Jun Ho Won and Kyung Eun Lee (Women), Nick Ushijima (Mid-Am), Mikio Shimura (Senior Men), Mira Han (Senior Women)

Aloha Section PGA Assistants Four Ball—Juan Rodriguez and Jeff Ingman

Anuenue Spring Break Classic—UCLA and Lilia Vu (UCLA)

APRIL

83rd Maui Women’s Championship—Lisa Judge

LPGA Lotte Championship—Cristie Kerr

59th Mid-Pacific Open—Jared Sawada, Tyler Ota (Amateur), David Ishii (Senior Pro), Doug Banks (Senior Am)

Pacific West Championships—BYU-Hawaii and Greg Gonzalez (Cal Baptist)

66th Francis Brown Four Ball—Andy Okita and Justin Taparra

High School Championships—Maui: Girls—Baldwin and Reese Guzman (Maui High), Boys—Maui High and Justin Arcano; OIA: Girls—Kaiser and Malia Nam; Boys—Moanalua and Jun Ho Won; ILH—Claire Choi (Punahou) and Andrew Chin (Punahou); BIIF—Mari Ebersole (Waiakea) and Isaiah Kanno (Waiakea).

MAY

David S. Ishii Foundation Hawaii State Girls High School Championship—Punahou and Claire Choi (Punahou)

Big Island Candies Team Championship—Elliott Gouveia and Eric Dugas (Makena)

David S. Ishii Foundation Hawaii State Boys High School Championship—`Iolani and Jun Ho Won (Moanalua)

HSWGA Member Match Play Championship—Fe Clock

U.S. Open local qualifiers—Garrett Okamura, Toru Nakajima, Jirou Minamizaki, Joshua Roland Defreitas Jr.

67th Jennie K. Wilson Invitational—Natsumi Nakanishi

Hickam Invitational—Tyler Ota and Mark Murphy (Senior)

U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifier—So Whi Kang

U.S. Senior Open qualifier—John Hearn

JUNE

IMG Academy Junior World Qualifier—15-18: Evan Kawai, Remington Hirano, Davis Lee, Pono Yanagi and Alanis Sakuma, Claire Choi, Miki Manta, Naomi Wong; 13-14: Noah Koshi, Peter Jung, Go Nakatsukasa, Jacob Torres and Kyung Eun Lee, Lana Calibuso-Kwee, Myah McDonald, Lacey Uchida; 11-12: Joshua Chung, Taiki Marsh, Dysen Park, Kade Kikuchi and Raya Nakao, Rachael Wang, Jennifer Seo,Teal Matsueda; 9-10: Bryce Toledo-Lue, Jake Otani and Mira Kubo, Kiara Johnson, Ava Cepeda, Kate Nakaoka.

Aloha Section PGA Jr. Championship qualifier—Malia Nam and Claire Choi, Evan Kawai and Pono Yanagi

HSJGA Optimist Qualifier—10-12: Madison Takai; 12-13: Joshua Hayashida; 13-14: Katrina Huang, Kaylee Akagi, Shayna Lu and Tagiralani Luafalealo; 14-15: Peter Jung and Jake Sequin; 15-18: Lorraine Char, Kristin Miyagi, Jae Eun Park and Isabelle Won; 16-18: Remington Hirano, AJ Teraoka and Ikaia Bernardino.

109th Manoa Cup—Andy Okita and Mari Nishiura (Women)

HSJGA King Auto 12-under State Junior Championship—11-12: Joshua Chung and Payten Shimizu; 7-10: Tristan Bayot and Maile Wong.

ASPGA Pro-Pro Championship—TJ Kua and Todd Rego

HSJGA King Auto 13-18

State Junior Championship—15-18: Pono Yanagi and Malia Nam; 13-14—Noah Koshi and Karissa Kilby.

40th annual Pua Melia—Jeannie Pak

U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier—Remington Hirano

U.S. Girls Junior Amateur qualifier—Allysha Mae Mateo

JULY

Barbers Point Invitational—Kyeton Little

61st Waialae Women’s Invitational—Kimberlie Miyamoto and Yindi Fowler (low net)

U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifier—Kimberlie Miyamoto and Jasmine Cabajar

U.S. Amateur qualifier—PJ Samiere

Nike Golf Four Ball—Kyle Hayashi and Alex Chiarella

Boys Junior America’s Cup—T20, Davis Lee, Evan Kawai, Remington Hirano, Pono Yanagi

U.S. Senior Amateur qualifier—Scott Ichimura

Girls Junior America’s Cup—T6, Malia Nam, Claire Choi, Allysha Mae Mateo, Alanis Sakuma

AUGUST

Dave and Busters Jr. Classic—15-18: Jordan Terada and Miki Manta; 13-14: Peter Jung and Tagiralani Luafalealo.

Army Invitational—Shawn Lu and Isaac Jaffurs (Mid-Am)

Maui Open—Alex Chiarella and Eddie Lee (Senior), Dean Prince (Super Senior), Glenn Ono (low net)

Mary Cave Cup—Danielle Ujimori, Miki Manta, Lana Calibuso-Kwee, Reese Guzman

Eddie Hogan Cup—Trevor Arashiro, Andrew Otani, Alex Kam, AJ Teraoka

HSJGA Mixed Team Championship—Kamie Hamada and Chad Lee

U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier—Isaac Jaffurs

54th annual Oahu Country Club Men’s Invitational—Shawn Lu

National Car Rental Assistant Championship—Corey Kozuma

Oahu Country Club Women’s Invitational—Rose Huang

HSJGA Ka`anapali Match Play Championship—Girls: Danielle Ujimori; Boys: Davis Lee (15-18) and Jake Sequin (13-14).

Kauai Amateur—Tyler Ota

Senior SPC/Senior Championship—Brad Bowen

SEPTEMBER

Mayor’s Cup—Schyler Murakami and Mike Kawate (Senior Men), Michelle Kim (Women)

HSWGA Senior Championship—Mira Jang and Kyong Omura (low net)

2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball qualifier—Isaac Jaffurs and Kyeton Littel

OCTOBER

Aloha Section PGA Championship—Eric Dugas

15th Turtle Bay Open—Brent Grant

HSWGA Member Stroke Play Championship—Patty Schremmer

Dennis Rose Intercollegiate—Wilmington and Jayce Frampton (Dixie State)

HSGA Maui Amateur—Isaac Jaffurs and Keith Anderson (Senior), Kurt Otake (Senior net), Glenna Sharratt (Women’s net)

Sixth annual Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational—Louisville and Simon Zach (Louisville)

Rainbow Wahine Invitational—Mississippi and Sydney Colwill (Memphis)

NOVEMBER

Fourth annual Ka`anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational—LSU and K.K. Limbhasut (Cal)

10th annual HSJGA Asia-Pacific Junior Cup—Japan 29, Hawaii 3

44th Gov. John Burns Challenge Cup—Pros 15.5, Amateurs 8.5

Sony Open in Hawaii amateur qualifier—Tyler Ota

E-Z Go Facility Team Championship—Kris Kitt and Juan Rodriguez (Nanea)

DECEMBER

Michelle Wie HSJGA Tournament of Champions—Girls: Mira Kubo (7-10), Raya Nakao (11-12), Lana Calibuso-Kwee (13-14), Malia Nam (15-18). Boys: Bryce Toledo-Lue (7-10), Joshua Chung (11-12), Peter Jung (13-14), Evan Kawai (15-18).

Leilehua-OJGA Pro-Scratch—Kevin Shimomura and Matthew Ma

Mauna Lani Resort Hawaii State Open —Tadd Fujikawa and David Ishii (Senior), Britney Yada (Women), Kyle Suppa (low amateur), Nelson Domingo (senior amateur), Reese Guzman (women’s amateur), Pat McGinness (A Flight).