Kyono surges to second state stroke-play crown

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

Pepperdine sophomore Rachel Kyono won her second Hawai'i State Women's Stroke Play Championship in three years with a record-tying 217 total. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

While junior golfers — particularly 12-year-old Stephanie Kono — continued to awe and amaze this week at Mid-Pacific Country Club, Kyono grabbed the tournament by the throat on the back nine and pulled away for a four-shot victory.

By closing with a 2-under-par 70, Kyono tied Debra Spencer's tournament record of 217. Kyono missed a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole that would have given her the lowest score in the 37-year history of the event.

She will have many more shots at it, as will those around her. Bobbi Kokx, 38, the state match play champion who took third (73-222), was the only Top-10 player older than Kyono. Kono (75-221), who led after the first two days, finished second.

Chasing "the kids" around Mid-Pac's thrill-a-minute layout made Kyono feel every bit of her 18 years. But ultimately, the Pepperdine sophomore from Kaua'i was the one golfer who knew how to drop the hammer. That came in the form of three brilliant putts in the last four holes.

"You mature," Kyono said. "It's a big difference from when I was 15 playing this tournament to now. A big difference."

All four years, Kyono has finished top three, by far the best record in this final women's major of the year. She won here two years ago but found yesterday's record-tying chase more fulfilling.

"It's an honor. I'm really excited," Kyono said. "It's getting a lot more competitive. It's a lot harder now."

It is not going to get any easier. New young phenoms seem to appear at every event. Michelle Wie, another 12-year-old, has won two women's majors the last two years, with Kono and 15-year-old Kira-Ann Murashige winning two others.

Britney Choy, 13, grabbed the lead briefly Wednesday with a breathtaking 12-hole run. Her surge came despite a bad back caused by a car accident Tuesday morning. After struggling on the front nine yesterday, Choy (77-224) took fifth behind Nebraska sophomore Merynn Ito (72-223).

By the time Kokx and Lisa Kajihara (76-226) lost their birdie touch at the 13th hole yesterday, this tournament had come down to Kyono and Kono, whose meticulous games are as similar as their last names. In difficult wind and with all the problems Mid-Pacific poses, Kyono played the back nine in 2-under over three days while Kono avoided anything worse than bogey.

"I was pretty steady today," Kono said. "I'm actually not that sad because I don't think I played bad today. I just wasn't making any good putts. I was playing pretty good.

"That happens. And Rachel played awesome today."

Kyono overtook Kono with three birdies in the first four holes. When Kono sank a speeding downhill birdie putt at No. 9, they were tied.

That lasted four more holes, until Kono's balky putter finally made her pay. She missed four par putts on the last five holes.

"I think maybe if she had taken her time a little more ... we're all like that when we're 12 years old," Kyono said. "You just go up and hit it, don't really think about it. I was like that. I was a lot worse. I was not nearly as good as her. It just comes with age. You learn to take your time, study more. It comes with maturing with the game."

Those Kono misses were sandwiched around a screaming 20-foot birdie putt that did drop on No. 16.

"I hit it way too hard and it just went in," Kono said. "It probably would have gone past another 20 feet if it hadn't gone in."

In contrast, Kyono was imperturbable at crunch time. She drained 12-foot par putts on the 15th and 17th, and answered Kono's birdie with her own 15-footer at 16.

"I like this course," Kyono said. "I like the challenge. You can't lose your concentration on this course. You have to keep focused. A little off and you go OB. I like tight courses. When you're not long like the others you've got to have some advantage, like accuracy."

And maturity. Kyono looked like a wise old pro yesterday, and felt it.

"I feel old," she admitted. "I felt like I was playing in a junior golf tournament out here. The players are better, starting younger, hitting farther. I'm behind. They're outdriving me by so far it's amazing. Britney can out-drive me with her irons."

But ultimately, none of them could beat her. The only time she faltered all week was during her acceptance speech, breaking into silent tears as she dedicated the victory to her late grandfather, Sparky Kyono, who passed away last October.

SHORT PUTTS: The women's stroke play championship started in 1962 as an offshoot of the Territorial Women's Amateur Championship. It was not played from 1965-68. From 1969-74 it was only two rounds. ... Only four golfers have shot sub-220 scores in the 54-hole tournament — Debra Spencer (1975), Anna Umemura (219 in 1997) and Rachel Kyono (219 in 2000 and 217 this year). ... The highest winning score in the last six years was 223, with an average of 220. The first three years at Mid-Pacific, the average was 232.