In another time, memories of the 57th Hawaii State Amateur Stroke Play Championship would be of a three-way playoff, a couple fast-closing Waiakea High School kids and a trio of dominant “older” golfers.
Sunday, the most indelible memory was very different. One of Hawaii’s major golf events sat alone under a dark cloud — figuratively and literally — in Wahiawa, seemingly the last sports event for who knows how long in Hawaii.
Maybe the second-most indelible memory for the 100-plus golfers was how appreciative they were to be playing, and to be outside enjoying the beauty of their state and game in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Waiakea junior Lacey Uchida is on a hot streak that includes high finishes in big junior tournaments and a commitment to golf for Colorado State in 2021. She kept that up Sunday by shooting a scorching 32 on her final nine (the front) at Leilehua to win the Women’s Open title by five shots over Roosevelt freshman Chloe Jang.
>> Photo Gallery: 57th Annual Hawaii State Amateur Stroke Play Championship
“In the beginning I was thinking too much,” Uchida said. “On the back nine (her first nine) I was not at my best and my attitude for the front nine was that I needed to put things in perspective: I was really lucky to be golfing with everything that’s happening. I should probably enjoy it, especially since it will probably be one of our last tournaments with all the sports canceled. I might as well make the best of it. It’s going to be OK.”
That was a prevailing attitude at Leilehua, which hosted the State Amateur after the tournament spent its last 33 years at Pearl Country Club.
Nearly every sport is canceling games and seasons. Thursday, State Am organizers sent out an email that included reminders to wash hands and don’t shake hands, along with leaving the flag stick in the hole.
Friday the Hawaii High School Athletic Association and its member leagues announced that games and practices are suspended indefinitely.
“That definitely had an impact,” said Isaiah Kanno, a Waiakea senior who closed with a 68, then won a three-way playoff to capture the Open championship. “I wanted to just have a fun time and play golf.”
Kanno, third-round leader Kolbe Irei — a Roosevelt senior — and Mid-Amateur champion Andy Okita finished at 2-under 286. On the first hole of the playoff all three had birdie putts on the same line.
Okita, who qualified for Mid-Am when he turned 25 in January, missed from 40 feet. Irei, who will play for UC Irvine in the fall, barely missed from 25 feet.
Kanno and caddie Jake Sequin — the 2019 state high school champ — looked his 15-footer over for a long time, then Kanno drained it.
He got to the playoff with yet another 32 on the front nine, which included a hole-out from 40 yards for eagle at the seventh. He added four birdie putts.
Uchida’s 71 was the only sub-par score over four days in a women’s flight with 10 golfers. Kanno opened with 79, but was 7 under over the weekend. His 68 shared low honors for the tournament from the back tees, played at 6,916 yards.
Okita played from the same tees and opened with 69 Thursday. He won Mid-Amateur honors by 10 over Kelly Holiday, who closed with 68.
Mike Kawate won his third senior men’s title in six years by shooting 68-69 his first two rounds, when Leilehua was so wet the field played “lift, clean and place.” Senior Men and Women’s Open played from 6,033 yards.
Kawate took a 10-stroke advantage into the seniors’ final round and held on with a 77 to beat Japan’s Hideki Tachi (70—217) by three.
Mira Jang has won three Hawaii State Senior Women’s Championships at Leilehua. She added another title Sunday, claiming senior women’s honors by 11 shots over Marie Miyashiro. Jang, the only golfer in the flight to break 80, closed with 73 to finish at 232. The senior women played from tees that measured 5,067 yards.
The awards banquet, fittingly, was interrupted by an alarm — a flash flood warning. Everyone took a breath, again.
“Golf is a little different than an enclosed sport,” said Matt Ma, who led at the halfway point with an even-par score. “All the guys out here are fist bumping instead of shaking hands and doing things a little different. They are all doing their part.”
