KOHALA COAST — Who say’s golf is an old man’s game?
KOHALA COAST — Who say’s golf is an old man’s game?
A pair of freshmen proved that theory wrong on Tuesday at Mauna Kea Golf Club, when Waiakea’s Isaiah Kanno and Mari Ebersole swept the BIIF Individual titles.
Ebersole entered the final day of the tournament in first place, while Kanno was in good position, sitting in second place just one stroke back of the leader. Both players — as well as nearly the entire field — struggled with their putting on the slippery, sloped greens of Mauna Kea. But the Waiakea duo managed the course in nearly every other aspect.
Kanno followed up his first round score of 73 at Hualalai on Sunday with a 77 on Tuesday for a combined scored of 150. He was one of only two players to shoot under 80 for the day, tying teammate Shon Katahira, who managed to improve three spots to finish in second place, three strokes back at 153. Kamehameha’s Kala’i Pomroy finished third with rounds of 72 and 83 for a 155 total.
“I’m not used to doing this,” said a slighly nervous Kanno in an interview right after his final round wrapped up. “Today was more windy than the last course and the greens were way faster and harder, but I hung in there.”
Kanno admitted to feeling the pressure as he prepared to play the 18th hole, which led to a rare mistake, when he pulled driver out of the bag and promptly pulled his shot left. However, even the golf gods were on his side on this day.
“He made a little mistake there but luckily it hit a rock and bounced back and he was able to make par,” said Waiakea boys coach Alika Toledo. “Isaiah has a good swing and is very creative in his shot playing. He is not one to just hit a high shot. He can work the ball left and right and is not afraid to punch a shot. He is a very versatile player.”
Playing one group ahead of Kanno, Ebersole knew most of her opponents heading into the final day of the BIIF tournament. They were all her teammates. After dominating the season as a team, Waiakea wrapped up individual play with the top five spots, and Ebersole’s group was made up of two other Warriors.
“We play with each other every day at practice but in a match it is still really competitive,” Ebersole said. “I am glad I got to play with them because I know them and they can help lighten the mood.”
The Waiakea freshman took a two stroke lead into the day after shooting a 79 at Hualalai on Sunday. Ebersole came out hot on the final day, shooting a tournament low 39 on the front nine to widen her lead. However, some putting problems plagued her on the back nine, where she had five three-putts.
Despite the setback, Ebersole shot a final round score of 84, winning the two-day tournament by five strokes with a combined total of 163.
“The front nine probably saved me,” Ebersole said. “The greens on the back nine might have been more challenging but I think it was probably more mental.”
Ebersole’s play on the front nine was bolstered by two birdies, one on the third hole and another on No. 5.
“I just hit the greens and made my putts,” she said. “After that my putting kind of fell apart, but at least I made those.”
Waiakea girls coach Sandra Goodale was very happy with the way Ebersole handled herself in the tournament.
“You would not think she was a freshman by looking at her with her stroke and her confidence,” the coach said. “She has been playing golf for a while, likes the competition, and has a strong mental game.”
Ebersole’s win was bitter-sweet for teammate Kaley Saludares, who had claimed the last two BIIF titles.
“I am really happy for Mari,” the Waiakea junior said. “She played really well.”
Saludares made a valiant comeback after entering the day in fourth place, six shots back of the leader. She shot the low-round of the day with an 83, going 40 on the front nine and 43 on the back. However, she was able to make up only one stroke on Ebersole, finishing in second place with a two-day score of 168.
“I didn’t have a very bad round at Hualalai,” Saludares said. “I just had a few bad holes that I couldn’t recover from.”
Waiakea’s Kaelyn Uchida wrapped up the top three for the girls, shooting an 83 on Day 1 and an 89 on Day 2 for a combined score of 172.
After sweeping the BIIFs in individual play, the Warriors will now focus on team play as they head into the state tournament which will be played on Maui at Ka’anapali Golf Club. The girls will play May 1-2 and the boys will follow May 4-5.
“BIIF is always hard because you are playing against teammates, but going forward we will be building the team back up to do its best on Maui,” Goodale said. “We will see if the hard work, dedication and the right mindset will pay off this year.”