Eimi Koga captured her third Oahu Interscholastic Association golf championship in as many tries and sophomore John Oda won the boys title Thursday at Royal Hawaiian Golf Club.
The two Moanalua students helped Na Menehune keep their streaks alive. The girls have won the past five OIA titles and eight of the past 14. The boys have won the past six.
John Oda:
Moanalua sophomore
won by four shots
Koga, who will defend her state championship next week, went wire to wire. She shot 2-over-par 75 in the opening round Wednesday at Kapolei and took a four-shot advantage over Kalaheo’s Monique Ishikawa into the final round.
Both shot 79 at Royal Hawaiian to give Koga, the 2010 Junior World Champion in the 13-14 division, the win. Ishikawa has finished second the past two years. Castle’s Iris Kawada (79—162) took third.
Oda went into the final round a shot behind senior teammate Seungjae Maeng and Kapolei’s Henry Kahula, who opened with 72s. Oda fired another 73 at Royal Hawaiian to win by four over Campbell senior Rudy Cabalar (75), the 2010 state champion.
Oda also won this year’s State Amateur Stroke Play Championship, and lost a playoff at the Hawaii Pearl Open.
Moanalua had five boys in the top 11. Jared Flores (79—152) was fourth, two shots behind Pearl City’s Colby Takushi. Maeng finished sixth, Brent Grant eighth and Jefferson Yee 11th.
Its team total (best four scores each day) of 313 gave it a two-day score of 611, 80 shots better than runner-up Campbell.
The girls held a four-stroke advantage over Kapolei going into the final round and won by 36 with a team total (best three scores) of 513. All three Na Menehune finished top 10, with Ashley Yuen (87—178) taking ninth and Elizabeth Shishido (92—181) 10th.
This is the third time in the past four years that Moanalua has swept both team and individual titles. Last year Aiea’s Ryan Kuroiwa stopped the sweep by winning the boys championship.
Moanalua is the only OIA team that has won a state girls championship, capturing the 2006 title. The David S. Ishii Foundation State Championships start next week at Wailua on Kauai. The girls play Tuesday and Wednesday and the boys play the following Tuesday and Wednesday, May 8-9.
Koga and ‘Iolani’s Lorens Chan will defend their titles. Live scoring updates will be available at sportshigh.com, through a link to hsjga.org.
