ISLE PROFILE
Kaimuki kid has golf game well beyond her years
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Eight-year-old Cyd Okino has been playing golf for only two years, but she's already made two holes-in-one.
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Her next five swings were just as consistent, the ball landing in almost the same spot every time.
Some golfers, also perfecting their swings at Olomana Golf Links that Wednesday afternoon, stopped to watch her textbook swing and clean follow-through. Amazed, like many others, that Cyd, dressed like a pro golfer in khaki shorts and a striped sleeveless top, is just 8 years old.
"At this age, her strength is that she loves playing golf," said Casey Nakama, golf pro at Olomana and director of instruction at the Olomana Developmental Program, in which Cyd is a student.
"She's having fun practicing and competing. So to me that's one of her strengths mentally," Nakama added. "Physically, she has a really good short game. And that comes from practice."
Cyd won this year's local qualifier for the Junior World Championships by 14 strokes and will compete in the July 16-19 tournament in San Diego, where she placed 13th last year in her age division. (The longest holes at this level is about 100 yards.)
Today, Cyd is the favorite at the U.S. Kids Championships event at Turtle Bay, which qualifies participants for the national tournament in Virginia.
And to think, she only took her first swing two years ago.
"I was really bad," Cyd said, in between sipping soda and taking jabs at her dad, Cyrus. "I was duffing, skulling, cutting across the balls. I knew I had to be better."
So she made a commitment to get better.
"Her ability is good because she practices," said Cyrus, an avid golfer who owns a vending machine business. "It's not necessarily natural ability. But she practices a lot and now she's really good."
Cyrus drives Cyd from their home in Kaimuki to Olomana 4-5 days a week to practice for about two hours, working on tee shots, putting and chipping — her least favorite stroke.
"I don't like chipping," said Cyd. "Sometimes I skull the ball off the green. So embarrassing."
Cyd spends so much time either practicing or competing she doesn't have much time for much else. But she manages to find time to be a typical 8-year-old girl.
The soon-to-be fourth-grader at Liholiho Elementary plays soccer, goes to the beach and watches "The Powerpuff Girls" and "Double Team."
Of course, the rest of her free time is spent on the golf course. And it shows.
The only girl competing in her division, Cyd — who is 4 feet 4, with estimates to grow as tall as 5-9 — has won three O'ahu Junior Golf Association tournaments this year. This from a girl who couldn't beat anyone in her division last year — girls or boys.
"I didn't expect too much out of her on the Mainland last year," Cyrus said. "But this year, I don't think there is too many, if any, 7- to 8-year-old girls who could beat Cyd. So I'm expecting more out of her this year in San Diego than last year."
What has helped Cyd improve hasn't just been her own determination to get better, Nakama said. It came from her parents.
"She was OK ability-wise from the start," said Nakama, who has worked with Cyd for about two years. "But the key to her progress has been the parents' dedication to her practicing and the time that's needed to improve. There's a direct correlation between the kid's improvement and how much the parents commit to the time needed to get better. ... That's why Cyd's improving quickly."
Just don't compare her to Michelle Wie, the 12-year-old phenom who has become a household name in local golf.
"Oh, I like her," Cyd said with a rascal smile. "But I'm going to be better than her."
