Nine plus two equalled par and a state championship for ‘Iolani senior Jasmine Wong.
The co-leader after one round overcame a back injury by getting nine hours of sleep and taking two Advils. Wong carded a par 72 on Wednesday to finish at 2-over 146, one stroke ahead of Punahou freshman Jessica Lee to capture the individual title at the David Ishii Foundation/HHSAA Girls Golf State Championships at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course.
Conditions were substantially improved for round two as unpredictable wind patterns toned down. Wong remained consistent after sharing the first-round lead with Kahuku’s Mia Cepeda and Kamehameha’s Kirsten Hall at 74. Cepeda finished fourth after posting 3-over-par 75 on Wednesday. Hall carded an 81 to finish 12th overall at 11 over.
After struggling with a triple bogey on 3 Tuesday, Wong birdied the hole on Wednesday. She finished the second round with three birdies and three bogeys to grind out the title victory.
“It was not as windy. It was pretty warm,” said Wong, who won the ILH title two weeks ago. “My back was OK. It was just tight. It happens once in awhile, but it’s not bothering me at all today. I stretched a little more this morning. I thought it was something that might be major, but it was minor.”
Tournament namesake David Ishii was on hand to present medals and trophies. Several of the tournament’s competitors were coached by Ishii as junior golfers. Ishii was one of the coaches Wong expressed thanks to during her acceptance speech, but few knew about the injury during the opening round.
“I didn’t know it started on her very first hole,” Ishii said. “That’s really making do, not feeling the best, but playing as well as she could. Today, she was still a little stiff and she did well. I think she’s tough.”
The pristine course was slightly overcast and a bit humid at times, opening the door for Punahou, which won the team championship with a remarkable composite 212 in round two. Punahou’s two-day 445 was 20 strokes ahead of Mililani (465). Moanalua placed third (478), followed by Maui Prep (484) and ‘Iolani (485).
Lee was one of Punahou’s low scorers of the day. She carded a 1-under-par 71 on Wednesday and finished 3 over to give Wong a challenge down the stretch.
“I feel really grateful for my parents (Richard and Young Hee Lee),” Lee said. “I do feel like I played a lot better than yesterday. I know I could have done better today. I really worked on my putting. I came here two hours early to practice. I had some birdies. On 10, I hit it behind a tree. I punched it out and made a birdie. I chipped it in. It felt really good.”
It was largely about risk management for Wong, a signee with Gonzaga.
“Today, I just played it solid, nothing out of the ordinary. If anything I let the putts fall in, stuck to my strategy,” Wong said. “There were two holes that were messy, but I kept my head on and took a deep breath, move to the next one. I got a little bit of an adrenaline rush probably in the last three holes. I had a little bit of awareness (of Lee), but I didn’t let that bother me. I knew if anything, it would be giving back strokes, not anybody else gaining.”
Wong parred 16 and 17, then bogeyed 18. Even with that, 18 was Wong’s favorite hole.
“The last three holes do get a little bit tricky. I had a little nerves on the last hole on that par putt,” she said. “But you know, it’s OK. I’m glad I got through it. I got the job done. That’s the most important thing. We’re just high school golfers just trying to learn and get the experience, and get ready for college. There’s a lot of good girls coming up and I wish them the best of luck.”
Wong didn’t have much time to celebrate. By Wednesday night, she was on a flight to San Antonio for the USGA Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. She is partnering with Audrey Park of Washington.
“It’s worth it. It’s my senior year and I’m excited for any experiences that come around,” she said. “I really want to thank Coach David (Ishii). He’s definitely made a big impact on my swing mechanics and other stuff. He retired (from coaching) so I’m glad he’s here today. I also want to thank my dad (Gerald). He’s been there every step of the way. It’s hard being a single parent. I’m grateful for everything he’s done for me.”
Wong, who has a 4.1 grade-point average, thanked her coaches and mentors, including ‘Iolani’s Kevin Ing, Marissa Chow and Wendell Look.
“They’re always supporting me, even in off-season. They’re always looking out for me. I’m so happy I get to end the season with them,” she said.
After struggling to a 78 on Tuesday, Punahou senior Nicole Ikeda turned in the best round of the tourney with a 2-under 70, closing out two strokes behind Wong.
“I was just thinking fairways and greens today, one hole at a time. Playing my game, one shot at a time,” Ikeda said. “I tried to aim for the middle of the greens, and if it didn’t go on the center I tried to chip it on and putt for par. On the back nine, the first day, it was really windy. Today, it was pretty good. On the first day, I played well on the back nine. Today, I played well on the first nine.”
Ikeda credited Chris McLachlin for mentoring her on the mental aspect of the game.
“I’ve been seeing my coach for sports psychology. He told me to take a deep breath in and relax, don’t think about bad shots. Just think about the next shot,” she said.
Ikeda plans to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Ariz.) and hopes to become a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines.
Punahou’s Sydney Fuke carded a 71 and placed fifth at 5 over par.
Kahuku junior Ava Cepeda finished strong with a par 72 to place sixth, five strokes behind Wong.
Mia Hirashima of Moanalua also had a bounce-back second round. She had an 83 on day one, then carded a 71 on Wednesday to finish eight strokes back.
OIA champion Kady Matsumoto placed ninth after posting a 77 for the second day in a row. Matsumoto led Mililani to a runner-up finish in the team standings.
