Ava Cepeda doesn’t remember the first time she picked up a golf club.
Technically, it was a toy golf club many moons ago.
“I started golfing when I was 3 or 4. I just remember seeing pictures of the (toy) golf clubs, but I don’t remember. At our old house in Punaluu, we had a big back yard and my dad would put balls down for me and I would drive them,” she said.
Mia Cepeda remembers the big back yard, long before the family moved to Hauula. She sees the cycle repeating with their younger brother, Max, who is learning the basics of golf the way his sisters did.
“I changed his diapers every day. Ava and I were definitely very helpful. He’s golfing. He has clubs. He practices with our dad in the yard every day,” she said.
With a doting father who lives and breathes golf as a borderline religion, the sisters have lifted Kahuku golf to a level it has not experienced in years. Former standouts Anna Lesa (Utah Valley), Keanu Akina (BYU) and Sequoia Logan (Riverside Country Club Athletic Club director, Provo, Utah) blazed a trail for Big Red golfers not so long ago.
Now, Ava Cepeda, a junior, has the second-best four-score average in OIA play at 69. Her best score this season was a 67 in the second tournament at Ewa Villages. Mia, a senior, is 10th in average at 76.
At the 2023 David S. Ishii Foundation/HHSAA Golf State Championships, Ava Cepeda gave Raya Nakao of Punahou a push in the second round before Nakao prevailed with a 5-under 139 at Wailua Golf Course on Kauai. Cepeda carded a 2-under 142. Mia Cepeda placed seventh at 7-over 151.
“It’s super fun. We can be super competitive, not crazy competitive, and then we hang out,” Ava Cepeda said. “People are surprised that we’re both doing good and still doing it.”
Mia Cepeda is enjoying the company all she can before she heads to college.
“It’s really great. It’s basically like the environment you get on a team, I get that year-round. We better each other and have fun with each other on the golf course,” she said.
Ava showed promise at a young age, shooting a 4 under par at a junior tournament at the Hawaii Prince course when she was 10.
“I was probably the most surprised. Before that, I’d made maybe a 1 under or even par. My dad was happy. He was smiling, talking to all the parents,” she said.
Mia Cepeda’s top score was a week later, a 74 at Mililani Golf Club. Her all-time best was a 66 at Pebble Beach in 2021.
“That tournament was the Pure Insurance Championship. You’re playing with senior tour pros and it’s on TV,” she recalled. “I just remember being so calm during that round, dialed in. Whenever I made a birdie, it felt like a par, and whenever I made par, it felt like a birdie.
Ava has gone as low as 8 under par, at Hawaii Prince near the end of 2023 in an OJGA tournament
But both Cepedas are always looking to improve.
This season, Mia continues to work on her drive with her dad, trying to find ways to squeeze out more power. Her short game is strong, and she has put in hours of strength and conditioning work.
“This is my worst season, I’m 10th in average. Last year I was fourth. Definitely, the weakest part of my game is my driving distance, so my dad and I went to work on it. Through that certain parts of my game get mixed up. I think of (it) as taking one step forward,” she said.
That day at Pebble Beach, though, was special. She was in the zone.
“It’s like nothing on either extreme affects you. Doing well doesn’t make you emotional. Hitting a bad shot doesn’t make you emotional. It’s kind of being in the perfect balance,” she said.
Mia Cepeda is committed to the University of Albany. She’ll be the first of the Cepeda ohana to venture to the East Coast for college.
“It’ll be good for Mia to go off to college, to be more independent,” dad Baxter Cepeda said. “Be forced to find her own way a little bit more.”
Mia Cepeda isn’t exactly an introvert, though. She enjoys her speech and debate class at Kahuku, and will travel to a national competition in June. She plans to major in political science with a minor in acting at Albany. Golf may test the limits of anyone’s poise, but her affinity for speaking in public is growing.
“In my speech and debate class, my teacher has been Mr. (Michael) Lau for four years. He’s super funny, super good at forming connections with people,” she said. “Just a genuine person.”
She intends to be an agent of change. Good change.
“Spread love wherever you go. The energy you put out definitely stays around. It’s better to put out good things than bad things for yourself and other people,” she added.
There is also this about Mia Cepeda. She relishes a good, serious staredown.
“I’m always winning staring contests. They come up randomly and I can’t remember the last time I lost one,” she said.
Ava Cepeda is already committed to New Mexico.
“I did a couple of calls with the coaches and they’re really nice. Their team is doing super good,” she said. “I visited the campus and the girls are super nice.”
Representing Kahuku golf is a unique privilege, but it also opens the scope of what the next generation is capable of doing.
“We’re lucky. With all the wind at Kahuku, it’s always a challenge, and it makes you better. We practice at Turtle Bay Resort as a team. On Wednesdays, we try to get a lot of holes, like 18,” Ava Cepeda said.
They aren’t the only sister power duo in the OIA. Mililani’s Kate and Mia Nakaoka have been en fuego as the No. 1 and No. 8 four-score average performers in the league. All four missed part or all of the OIA championships last week to compete in the LPGA qualifier at the Waikoloa Village golf course.
“We got lucky. The tradewinds were light. I didn’t qualify, but I played good. I shot under par for one of the rounds,” Ava Cepeda said.
They had already qualified for states, which begin next Tuesday at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course.
“I’m looking forward to hopefully playing really good and winning,” Ava Cepeda said. “The 13th hole is really pretty, so I’m looking forward to that. The ocean is right there. I’ve played there once or twice, three years ago. I remember it being really windy.”
Mia Cepeda, ultra-surgical in challenging environments, remembers those rounds at Kaneohe Klipper.
“It’s windy and you definitely need to account for that. I’m looking forward to trying to shoot under par and seeing how low the score can go,” she said.
Their parents know no bounds when it comes to supporting the sisters, sending them to tournaments near and far since they were 7 and 6. Baxter Cepeda credits Kahuku coaches Sterling Carvalho, Stewart Carvalho and Neal Manutai Sr. for being part of the circle that have elevated Mia and Ava Cepeda to higher heights. Sterling Carvalho, who is also head coach of Kahuku’s three-peat state championship football team, saw them play for the first time after they entered high school.
“They were young and shy. We heard about these sisters. Many people we talked to remembered them playing soccer growing up. They were quiet and humble,” he said. “Confident and already good in what they did. Their dad had they ready by the time they started playing high school.”
Maybe it’s in the water, but the growing golf community on the North Shore is taking on elements of title-town programs like football.
“The sisters have a great work ethic. Their dad continues to do a good job coaching them and developing their game. The whole family is invested into this sport. What makes them great is they compete against each other. They push each other,” Carvalho added. “They may not say it because they compliment each other, yet they love to compete.”
Yes, they do. The sisters and their parents go at it on the course, battling in their own competition with “a couple of bucks” on the line, according to Ava Cepeda. Mia Cepeda noted that it’s more like $20 when they go to battle on the links. Dad is the one who loses out these days.
“It’s a pleasure to give them money to beat us. They don’t have an allowance. They beat me pretty regularly. I play pretty decent golf, but I don’t have that consistent nine- or 18-hole game,” he said.
It’s not about money, though. There will come a day when dad, mom and their talented daughters won’t have the chance to spend hours together on the links. Sometimes, it’s just fun. Or funny.”
“It’s pretty civil. Our dad might yell in Spanish or English,” Mia Cepeda said. “We were around 13 when we started beating him consistently.”
The pendulum swings back and forth for him, from father to coach.
“I think sometimes through the whole coaching process, it’s hard to realize it, but he reminds us that if practice gets stressful, that he’s proud of what we’re doing,” Mia Cepeda said.
Baxter Cepeda grew up in the water. At Los Angeles Valley College, he and Karla were water polo athletes. Golf was an interesting spectator activity for both, but not an actual pastime. After moving to the islands to attend HPU, Baxter’s interest in golf turned into a hobby, then a passion, then an obsession.
“We travel a lot, like hundreds of thousands of miles,” Ava Cepeda said. “My dad picked up golf for fun in high school.”
Mia Cepeda has a dream that was passed down from her father.
“I would love to golf at Augusta. It would be so great to play the entire course,” she said. “Our whole lives are devoted to golf. Every trip we go on is for a golf tournament and different stuff like that.”
Not long after their father became a fanatic about the fundamentals, mechanics and techniques of golf, Mia was born. Two years later, Ava came along. Ava was later promoted to a higher grade level during elementary school, and by high school, the sisters were able to enjoy three years together on the Kahuku golf team.
To know Baxter Cepeda is to know full golfing nerdom in only the best ways. He can go on spontaneous soliloquies and monologues about specific golfing greats of the past and present, the status of youth golf development in Hawaii, and everything in between.
“A teammate of mine from water polo, we had fun golfing. Soon after that, we played at an executive course, my second time playing. It was on a hill overlooking Los Angeles,” he said. “The beauty of the surroundings. The complexity of the game. I always want to learn more. I geek out, writing about golf all over the place.”
He was born in California, moved back to the family home in Argentina at 6, and around 11, they moved back to California for good.
Over the past two decades, all of their father’s thirst for knowledge, his love for playing the game and, most of all, his insatiable desire to impart the wisdom and passion are inexhaustible.
It has made the sisters quite introspective, analytical and, in some ways, deadpan in their observations on and off the links.
“I’m pretty good at keeping myself calm,” Ava Cepeda said. “If I’m playing bad, I stay calm and work to get better.”
The sisters grew up playing soccer, as the offspring of Argentinian parents are apt to do. They surf for fun. Last winter, they joined the swim team for the first time.
Still, having a parent who is truly a devotee of golf is a different world in itself. The catch is simple: Baxter Cepeda proved himself long ago by being an excellent cook. Trusting him to teach them about golf was automatic. The sisters can’t remember a time when their dad, mom and even grandparents weren’t cooking up a storm in the kitchen, feeding them world-class food. Medicine for the soul.
“My grandpa (Daniel Cepeda) makes homemade pizza. I like it with chicken and tomato toppings,” Ava Cepeda said. “I make brownies every couple of months.”
The job for Mia, Ava and younger brother Max is simply to eat.
“Most of the time when we’re cooking, the burritos are a collaboration by a lot of people. Everybody makes the spaghetti, but our dad makes enchiladas. I just don’t have all the recipes memorized like my mom, my dad and my grandparents.”
Like many families, the pandemic forced the Cepedas to stay together and grow closer — through food.
“There was a lot of baking going on,” Baxter Cepeda recalled. “The girls can definitely cook. They don’t realize it. We’re pretty confident when they’re on their own, they won’t be out of it. I love cooking. Argentinians, we like beef and barbecue. My dad has made great barbecues wherever we’re living. I totally get into it. Golf is the same way. I don’t have the recipe, but I have a good eye for why someone isn’t hitting the ball well.”
Sterling Carvalho is highly optimistic about Kahuku’s golf program. Kahuku Municipal Golf Course offers free play to junior golfers. Turtle Bay has stepped up, too.
“Golf is growing here on the North Shore. We have a great partnership with Turtle Bay Golf Course. Travis Berding, Larry Keil and the golf staff have been great in allowing our golfers to practice at the course. Turtle Bay also has a junior program that invites and teaches dozens of youth at their facility,” Carvalho said.
Last year, Neal Manutai Jr., son of the Kahuku assistant coach, won the Drive, Chip and Putt Championships at Augusta, Ga. He was 11 then. His younger brother, Kolo, is 7 and already playing in off-island tournaments. He has two fans in the Cepeda sisters.
“He comes to all the practices,” Ava Cepeda said. “Every time he makes a putt or a big shot, he always has a big reaction.”
AVA CEPEDA
Kahuku golf, swimming • Junior
>> Top 3 movies/shows
1. “Grown Ups”
2. “The Emperor’s New Groove”
3. “The Fault in Our Stars”
>> Top 3 foods/drinks
1. Watermelon
2. Celsius energy drink (mango passionfruit)
3. Pasta, especially chicken Alfredo
>> Top 3 homemade food
1. Grandpa’s pizza
2. My brownies
3. Mom and dad’s spaghetti
>> Top 3 music artists
1. Amy Winehouse — “You Know I’m No Good”
2. Lana Del Rey — “Video Games”
3. Mac Miller — “Small Worlds”
>> Favorite athlete: Bethany Hamilton
“I surf a little and I met her on Kauai once. Like 2016. We were there for a golf tournament. We met at the beach. She said, ‘Hi,’ and we took a picture with her.”
>> Funniest teammate: Kolo Manutai
“He’s one of the coaches’ sons. He comes to all the practices. He’s 7. Every time he makes a putt or big shot, he always has a big reaction.”
>> Smartest teammate: Mia Cepeda
“She’s the oldest on the team. She has good grades and stuff. She has more AP classes than me.”
>> GPA: 4.1
>> Favorite teacher/class: Ms. (Jacqueline) Rasmussen, chemistry
“She’s nice and the work she gives, she’s good at explaining it so we can all understand.”
>> Favorite motto: One day at a time.
“Not getting ahead of yourself, and that’s a main thing on the golf course. If I make a bogey, it’s easy to get ahead of yourself and think I need to make a birdie now, but it’s better to go slow and take each thing as it comes. That applies to life too.”
>> Hidden talent: Baking
“I baked bread a lot. I haven’t done it a lot, but in quarantine time, I baked bread. I would follow recipes. I bake coffee cake, but I don’t really eat it. My sister and I make it for our mom on Mother’s Day a lot.”
>> New life skill: Decision-making
“I used to be more indecisive, but I realized that isn’t helpful and takes longer. The last couple of months, if I like something I’ll just do it.”
>> Bucket list: “Go to a fjord in Norway. They’re really pretty. They’re two cliffs with a waterway in the middle. Cruise ships go there. I’d also like to go to Argentina. That’s where my dad’s family is from. He was born in America, moved to Argentina when he was 6. When he was 11, they moved back to California. He speaks Spanish and English. On the golf course, he’ll say something in Spanish sometimes.”
>> Time machine: “To the time of the T. rex. I would stay for an hour.”
>> Youth sports: “I played soccer when I was 5. I played until I was 11 or 12. I miss it a little bit. We were focusing on golf more. I started golfing when I was 3 or 4. I just remember seeing pictures of the fake (toy) golf clubs, but I don’t remember. At our old house in Punaluu, we had a big back yard and my dad would put balls down for me and I would drive them. I played tennis when I was around 9 to 11. The classes we would go to were in Kaneohe, so it was a pretty far drive.”
>> If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?
“Smile.”
>> Shoutouts: “To my friends, family and coaches.”
MIA CEPEDA
Kahuku golf, swimming • Senior
>> Top 3 movies/shows
1. “Titanic”
2. “Mysterious Skin”
3. “Requiem of a Dream”
>> Top 3 foods/drinks
1. Watermelon
2. Milk (2%)
3. Hot green tea
>> Top 3 homemade food
1. Burritos (carnitas)
2. Spaghetti
3. Enchiladas
>> Top 3 music artists
1. The Smiths — “Nowhere Fast”
2. The Beatles — “Within You Without You”
3. Jeff Buckley — “Dream Brother”
“This is a debate. I think what the general consensus is that Yoko Ono led to tension. Probably the Beatles are about peace and love, and that’s the mindset I try to take to the golf course.”
>> Favorite athlete: Danielle Kang
“We’ve met her three or four times. It’s really cool. We first met her at a clinic at the Lotte (Open) a long time ago. We kept seeing her at LPGA tournaments. Then she started recognizing us, so that’s cool.”
>> Funniest teammate: Nate Whetten
“He’s a freshman just getting into golf. It’s funny to see his reactions to shots. He’s super happy when he plays well, but he’s distraught when a shot doesn’t go his way. It’s never out of hand with him. I can tell he’s really passionate about golf, so that’s cool to see.”
>> Smartest teammate: Ava Cepeda
>> GPA: 3.9
“I enjoy certain parts of AP classes. The curriculum is made for the entire nation, but it’s definitely more work than most class.”
>> College: Committed to University of Albany
“I actually didn’t visit there. I talked to a bunch of schools and it never worked out in our schedule to visit (New York). I think I’ll like it. My plan is to major in political science and minor in theater. I do speech and debate. Speech is basically acting. Plays for my school are time-consuming.”
>> Favorite teacher/class: Mr. (Michael) Lau, speech and debate
“He’s been my speech and debate coach for four years. He’s super funny, super good at forming connections with people. Just a genuine person.”
>> Favorite motto: “Spread love everywhere you go. The energy you put out definitely stays around. It’s better to put out good things than bad things for yourself and other people.”
>> Hidden talent: Always winning staring contests
>> New life skill: Public speaking and acting
>> Bucket list: “Win a USGA event. Visit Italy and Argentina. I went to Argentina when I was 6 months old. I have no recollection. My dad hasn’t gone back since then. We travel a lot in the summer for tournaments.”
>> Time machine: “I’d want to go 5,000 years in the future and see how much society has changed.”
>> Youth sports: “I (played) soccer when I was 4 to 12 years old. Sometimes I miss it. Swimming was never a consistent thing, but this last year, we were on our high school swim team. Winter is the least busy time for golf. We both surf for fun.”
>> Shoutouts: “To my dad for coaching me, mom for supporting everything I do for my whole life, my sister for always making me better and being one of my best friends. The Kahuku golf coaches Stewart (Carvalho), Sterling (Carvalho) and Neal (Manutai) for all their incredible support, and all my family and friends who have helped me throughout my life.”
