When Trevor Hirata and Kaley Saludares were last seen playing competitive rounds at Hokulia, they were wrapping up BIIF championships.
When Trevor Hirata and Kaley Saludares were last seen playing competitive rounds at Hokulia, they were wrapping up BIIF championships.
Neither played as smoothly at the HHSAA finals, but this is golf, and each gets a mulligan of sorts against state competition.
The Waiakea golfers headline the Big Island field at the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association championships, with 18 holes on tap Tuesday and Wednesday.
Shawn Lu defends his title, and one of the hottest golfers in the field is Kyosuke Hara. Since finishing in a tie for second in the state for Moanalua during the high school season, Hara has qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur, and he pocketed a 10-stroke victory at the Pearl City Invitational on Oahu in late June.
Hirata, a senior, played well in May at Hokulia as he claimed his second consecutive BIIF title, carding only one bogey during a 68 for a 17-shot victory.
Warriors teammate Shon Katahira, a junior, Kamehameha senior Preston-Lee Ching and Makua Lani junior Andrew Rosato will try to better Hirata this time around. Katahira was the top Big Islander last year when the event was also held at Hokulia.
Mililani senior Mari Nishiura comes in off of a victory at the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier on Kauai.
Saludares, a sophomore, and Kamehameha-Hawaii graduate Shantel Antonio tee off on different holes at 12:30 p.m Tuesday. Saludares overtook Antonio in the final round to win BIIFs.
The highest HHSAA finisher on the girls side is Maryknoll’s Allysha Mae Mateo, who will defend her title in the girls 13-14 division. Kamehameha freshman Pono Yanagi will try to improve on a fourth-place finish last year in boys 13-14.