WAIKOLOA — Under clear blue skies, the top junior golfers from Hawaii and Japan wrapped up the three-day Asia Pacific Junior Cup at the Waikoloa Kings’ Course on Tuesday.
Japan ran away with the Ryder Cup-style competition, capturing 12 of the 16 available points on the final day and defeating Hawaii 25.5 to 6.5.
“We didn’t lose to bogeys, and we didn’t even lose to pars. We lost to birdies and eagles most of the time,” said Mary Bea Porter-King, one of the captains on the Hawaii side and also co-founder and president of the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association. “I can’t say we are upset with our play. I think that the caliber of play from both sides was the same. Japan just made more shots when they needed to.”
It was the eighth edition of the event that brings together 32 of the best young players from Hawaii and Japan, with 10 boys and six girls on each team. Tuesday featured single matchup play between the junior golfers. Sunday the teams participated in four-ball match play, and Monday was the foursome matches.
While the competition was heated on the course, the event extended far beyond the fairways. The teams mingled at various activities throughout the week, gaining a unique cultural experience.
“Each year, you would think that language would be a barrier, but the common language spoken here is the language of golf, good citizenship and sportsmanship,” Asia Pacific Junior Cup Tournament Director Karen Murray Boston said. “Each tournament has so many different highlights, but I think the most powerful part is always the opening ceremonies. It’s very special for all the kids to know they are representing their country.”
Scott Head, Vice President of Resort Operations at Waikoloa Beach Resort and a fixture on the local golf scene, was impressed with the caliber of play.
“The quality of golf is always exceptional. Hawaii has become a breeding ground for young golf talent,” Head said. “We had a pretty solid Hawaii team, but Team Japan put on a dominant performance. It would not surprise me if a half-dozen of those kids end up going on and enjoying an illustrious golf careers.”
On the Hawaii squad, 14 of the golfers were from Oahu and two from Maui. While the final results were not what the team had hoped for, Porter-King said facing tough and unfamiliar foes is the quickest path to improvement.
“I think the only way you make any athlete better is by competition,” Porter-King said. “My philosophy is to make these children uncomfortable. We only grow in our discomfort. We don’t grow in our comfort. If we are always playing the same people, we are never going to improve. My job is to find more opportunities to make them uncomfortable so they can grow.”
This year’s representatives from Team Hawaii were: Kyle Suppa, Shawn Lu, Tyler Munetake, Justin Ngan, Kyosuke Hara, Zackary Kaneshiro, SpencerDunaway, Justin Williamson, Remington Hirano, Colin Laszlo, Rose Huang, Malia Nam, Allysha Mae Mateo, Kaci Masuda, Allisen Corpuz and Mari Nishiura.
“This was by far one of the most thoughtful and cooperative teams I’ve had,” Porter-King said. “My hat goes off to all of them. They were totally engaged, and gave it 100 percent out there.”
At Waikoloa Kings’ Course
Japan 25.5, Hawaii 6.5
Tuesday’s singles
Koichiro Ishika, Japan, Shawn Lu, Hawaii, halved
Momoko Osato, Japan, def. Allisen Corpuz, Hawaii, 4 and 3
Hayata Utsunomiya, Japan, def. Spencer Dunaway, Hawaii, 4 and 3
Hina Arakaki, Japan, def. Rose Huang, Hawaii, 4 and 2
Naoki Sekito, Japan, def. Colin Laszlo, Hawaii, 3 and 2
Ren Okazaki, Japan, def. Kyle Suppa, Hawaii, 3 and 2
Kyosuke Hara, Hawaii, def. Masaki Matsumoto, Japan, 4 and 3
Malia Nam, Hawaii, def. Hikaru Yoshimoto, Japan, 2 and 1
Aya Tamura, Japan, def. Kaci Masuda, Hawaii, 2 and 1
Tyler Munetake, Hawaii, def. Gaku Tsukamoto, Japan, 1-up
Ryukei Nakahashi, Japan, def. Justin Ngan, Hawaii, 4 and 3
Mizuki Tanaka, Japan, Mari Nishiura, Hawaii, halved
Takumi Kanaya, Japan, def. Remington Hirano, Hawaii, 5 and 3
Yumeno Masada, Japan, def. Allysha Mae Mateo, Hawaii, 3 and 2
Yuwa Kosaihira, Japan, def. Justin Williamson, Hawaii, 6 and 4
Naoyuki Kataoka, Japan, def. Zackary Kaneshiro, Hawaii, 2 and 1
