LAHAINA, Maui >> Maui Preparatory’s inaugural state golf championship looked like a lonely walk in Kaanapali’s windy golf park the past two days.

Joshua Hayashida’s second state championship — and first as medalist — provided more drama … for a moment.

When the David S. Ishii Foundation/HHSAA State High School Boys Golf Championship ended Tuesday at Royal Kaanapali, Maui Prep was at least 38 shots ahead of everybody.

The school started in 2005 with 18 middle school students. Classes were held in banquet spaces at the now demolished Kapalua Bay Hotel.

In the past three months, the school has won its first two state championships, the first coming in D-II basketball.

Punahou, which won six of the previous 12 state boys golf titles, was next. Defending champion Hawaii Baptist Academy was another 11 strokes back and two ahead of Moanalua, which has captured three championships since 2012.

In other words, Na Pueo, who drive 20 minutes to practice at Kaanapali, were in extremely good company and never wavered.

“I’m surprised at how calm and collected they were out there,” said Maui Prep coach Chris Aramini, a teaching pro at Kaanapali. “The whole round today I was nervous and trying to look like the coolest coach there is. It’s surprising how well they handled the whole situation, coming in knowing they were favored and everyone was out to get them and just coming out and shooting scores. It was very impressive.”

All five Pueo finished in the top 21, with junior Dillon Jonke (73—145) taking second, four shots behind Hayashida. Christopher Salem was alone in fourth and Landon Long, another freshman, came out 13th in the field of 96. Brothers Caleb and Renner Chumley took 15th and 21st.

“Caleb Chumley was the only senior on the team. He was a freshman three years ago and we had a little talk about this,” Aramini smiled. “I was saying your brother is coming up as a freshman the year you will be a senior and we have a chance of taking states.

“With him and also Christopher and Landon coming up as freshmen … I can’t put into words how instrumental those freshmen were this year, but those juniors and seniors led the team.”

Hayashida, who was a freshman on HBA’s first state championship team in 2019, led after shooting a 2-under-par 69 Monday — the week’s only sub-par round.

It got interesting as the leaders started making the turn in the final round. And then it wasn’t, a fact Hayashida traced directly back to his double-bogey at No. 8.

“Whenever I’m in the lead I play too conservatively, to not lose it,” said Hayashida, who was fourth in last month’s Mid-Pacific Open. “Once I made that double I knew it was close, I think I was tied (with ‘Iolani junior Dane Watanabe). Then I felt more comfortable, felt more free. I committed to what I was practicing.”

When he could practice. Last week he had COVID-19, which erased the past two state championship tournaments, and was isolating at home in bed all week. Hayashida, who won the past two ILH titles, was just happy to be at states.

“It was like, can I even get out there and hit it off the tee?” he recalled. “I tried not to embarrass myself without having any practice.”

No problem, after a short scare off the ninth tee. He drew his drive and the gusty wind drew it more. Not knowing if he’d gone OB, he hit a provisional tee shot.

He found his original drive and ended up birdieing the hole to take a one-shot lead over Watanabe and Jonke at the turn.

Hayashida, playing with Watanabe, ran away from him by draining ridiculously long birdie putts at the 12th (40 feet) and 13th (50-plus) to get to 3 under. Watanabe, who hardly missed a fairway or green all week, three-putted both.

Jonke birdied the 16th to get to even par, but played the last two holes in 3 over. Hayashida bogeyed both holes while playing them safe, and as far from the water as possible.

The champ’s inspiration came from the last state championship in 2019, when the then-freshman was elated with the team title but deeply disappointed by his play after leading the ILH in scoring average.

“This was my last chance at states,” said Hayashida, who will play for the University of Hawaii in the fall. “But the biggest inspiration is that I played so badly as a freshman, I was so excited and I just blew it, shot like 79-81. I thought I was experienced then, but I was super inexperienced. I tried to do too much.”

This year was perfect, for Hayashida and Maui Prep.