Claire Choi walked off the finishing hole at the Turtle Bay Fazio Course not knowing exactly where she stood Wednesday in the final round of the David S. Ishii Foundation/HHSAA Girls Golf State Championships.
The Punahou senior, who was one shot back entering the day, birdied two of her last five holes for a 2-under 70. The question on everybody’s mind near the clubhouse was: How were the three girls in the final group faring?
It turned out they didn’t go low enough, as Choi captured a second straight state championship with a two-day total of 1-under 143.
“I think I planned well and executed well,” said Choi, who one year ago beat Maui High’s Reese Guzman in a one-hole playoff for the title. “It was kind of windy today, so I tried to play lower shots. I’m happy that I was able to win my second state championship.”
Guzman and Maryknoll’s Allysha Mae Mateo were buzzing close to the lead all day. First-round leader Kamie Hamada, however, shot 78 to fall all the way into a tie for 11th.
After the first hole of the day, Fazio’s 10th, Guzman and Mateo went up by one stroke on Choi, who bogeyed the hole. Thanks to birdies on Nos. 13 and 14, though, Choi took the turn with a one-shot lead on both of them. Despite an up-and-down first nine, Mateo put a little worry into Choi with an eagle on the par-5 No. 17.
“Allysha had an eagle and I had to play for par,” said Choi, who will golf for Santa Clara next season. “I was thinking I gotta get one in, but I was still super patient. After her eagle, I was like, ‘OK, next hole!’ And then I had two birdies after that.”
Those birdies on Nos. 5 and 7, her 14th and 16th holes of the day, pretty much sealed it. Choi didn’t have any bogeys on her back nine.
Mateo was still as close as 1 down after No. 6, but dropped out of contention with a double on No. 8 and finished in fourth place.
Guzman got as close as 2 down at No. 6, but didn’t move the needle after that, finishing in second place for the second year in a row at 1-over 145.
“It’s hard knowing you placed second again,” said Guzman, a junior who plans to sign of a letter of intent to Pepperdine in November. “But good for Claire. She’s a senior this year. It’s (winning a state title) not easy, definitely. But I have another chance.”
OIA champion Malia Nam of Kaiser, after a 3-over 39 on her front nine, fought back to take third place at 2-over 146. She was 4 over for the tournament at the turn, but didn’t cave in. She hit her approach on the final hole to within 2 feet with that third-place finish on the line.
Choi teamed up with ILH champion Karissa Kilby and Alison Takamiya for the team championship with a 452 score, just one stroke ahead of ‘Iolani’s Hamada, Kristin Miyagi and Kyung Eun Lee.
Hamada’s missed 3-footer for par on the 18th would have sent the Raiders to a playoff with the Buffanblu, who have now been crowned state team champions for 11 of the past 12 years. The Buffanblu also have 12 of the individual champions in the 25 years of the state tournament.
“We had opportunities a lot earlier in the round,” ‘Iolani coach Kevin Ing said. “Missed shots. missed putts. We left a lot of strokes on the course, so it didn’t really come down to just that missed putt. We’re constantly battling Punahou.”
