2018 Kāʻanapali Hawaiʻi Junior Golf: Final Results

Joshua Hayashida (Boys 13-14), Peter Jung (Boys 15-18) and Myah McDonald (Girls) took home trophies in the 2018 Kāʻanapali Hawaiʻi State Junior Golf Association Match Play Championship held over the weekend.

After a grueling day in the heat, second seed Joshua Hayashida outmatched first seed Marshall Kim in 21 holes on Sunday and took home the trophy in the Boys 13-14 Championship Match.

Marshall Kim was 1Up through nine holes on the Kai Course today playing against Joshua Hayashida. On the 10th hole however, Kim’s drive went out of bounds and Hayashida used this to his advantage and played it safe off the tee. “I knew he would probably double the hole because of the OB so I just played my approach to the back of the green and 2-putt for par to win the hole and put us all square (AS),” said Hayashida.

Going into the 18th hole however, Kim was back to 1Up and both had just bogeyed the 17th hole. Hayashida said, “I was really frustrated after missing the putt on 17 because I should have made it and been all square going into 18.”

On 18, Kim would missed a six-footer for par and give the putt to Hayashida, sending them into additional holes. They both made par on the first and second additional holes and headed to the downhill par 3, 3rd hole.

“I hit my tee shot to the same spot I had in the earlier round with Marshall, just short and right of the pin – I then chipped up to two feet of the pin. Marshall was just behind me at about 6-feet and missed his putt for birdie,” said Hayashida.

Hayashida made the final putt to win the match. “I really enjoyed the (Kai) Course, it played pretty tough this weekend–this event definitely reminded me to just stick to each shot and not get myself down,” he said.

Hayashida earned top honors at the HSJGA Junior Tour Under 14 Series (Big Island), T1 in the HSJGA Junior Tour Under 14 (Maui) and came in 7 th in the Aloha Section PGA Junior PGA Championship earlier this year.

In the Boys 15-18 Division, Peter Jung defeated Alex Kam 2Up in the semi-final round on Sunday morning, moving on to compete in the Championship Match with Noah Koshi, who had defeated Jonathan Morikawa 2&1 earlier in the day.

Koshi was 1Up through the second hole but then Jung went on a birdie hunt with six birdies on holes 8-16 to finish out the match 3-and-2 over Koshi. Jung commented on the birdie run saying, “Anything within 100 yards, I was sticking it and then making everything.”

On the par 3, 14th hole, Jung hit a 4-iron to just short of the pin high left and sank a 40-foot big breaking left to right putt for an impressive birdie. On the 16th hole and what would be the final hole of the match, both Koshi and Jung hit their drives up the middle. Koshi hit his approach to one foot and Jung gave him the putt.

Peter Jung, who is a sophomore at Maryknoll, sunk his 5-footer for birdie putt to win the match 3-and-2. “We always play together so we know each other’s games pretty well. Today, I just sort of stayed in my zone and was pretty quiet throughout the round,” he said.

In the Girls 13-18 Division, Kyung Eun Lee defeated Maui’s only player left in the semi-final championship matches (across all divisions), Lana Calibuso-Kwee 1Up. Myah McDonald defeated Karissa Kilby 4-and-2 in the morning round to enter the final Championship Match with Lee. Eun Lee got off to a good start in the final match with McDonald, stretching her lead to 4Up through 10 holes and then fell back to just 2Up through 14.

“With Kyung up by four at one point and leading most of the match, I just tried to give my best and not give up – in the end, it all worked out,” said Myah McDonald, who is a junior at Mid Pacific Institute. On the 15th hole, both Eun Lee and Myah hit a good shot into the green, but it was McDonald that would sink her 15-footer for birdie. “That gave me a big boost of confidence for the rest of the round,” said McDonald.

Eun Lee bogeyed the 16th to put them at AS. On the 17th hole, both of the girls had great drives up the fairway and McDonald stuck her approach to just one foot which Kyung conceded. Eun Lee would then go on to bogey the hole, edging McDonald to 1Up headed into 18.

The final hole on the Kai Course was the first time McDonald had played it because her prior matches hadn’t lasted 18 holes so she was going in blind. “I knew I had to play it safe because there was water on the hole so I played my wood off the tee, giving me about 140 yards to the pin from there,” McDonald said.

Her approach landed in the middle of the green and the pin was in the back. Kyung was left side and pin high. McDonald said, “I just told myself I only needed to 2-putt to win and then I almost made my birdie putt, it was a good feeling.”

This is McDonald’s first HSJGA win this year and first time playing in the Match Play Championship.

Maui’s Summer Wong competed in the final round for the Consolation Bracket for Girls 13-18 with Honolulu’s Mari Nakamura. Nakamura won 5-and-3 on Sunday in their final round.

Ka’ena Kaulia defeated Ian Chapital 2Up in the Boys 13-14 Consolation Bracket. Pono Yonagi defeated Dillon Ah Chong 2-and-1 in the Boys 15-18 Consolation Bracket Final round.

Joshua Hayashida tees off during the Kāʻanapali HSJGA Match Play Championship (photo from Saturday). Photo credit: Kāʻanapali Golf Courses

Maui’s Summer Wong watches her birdie putt attempt in the final Consolation Bracket match. Photo credit: Kāʻanapali Golf Courses

Peter Jung sinks a birdie putt on the par 4, 9th hole. Photo credit: Kāʻanapali Golf Courses

Noah Koshi hits his approach on the Kai 9th hole during the final match. Photo credit: Kāʻanapali Golf Courses

Myah McDonald hits out the bunker on the 11th hole in the Championship Match. Photo credit: Kāʻanapali Golf Courses

Myah McDonald reacts to a near miss birdie putt on the 4th hole on the Kai Course. Photo credit: Kāʻanapali Golf Courses

Kyung Eun Lee tees off on the 12th hole during the final Championship Match. Photo credit: Kāʻanapali Golf Courses