Waiakea edges young Kaua'i for team title

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

WAIKOLOA, Hawai'i — Waiakea held off Kaua'i and Mid-Pacific senior Troy Higashiyama held off the bogey man to win the David S. Ishii Foundation State High School Boys Golf Championship yesterday.

The Warriors rallied from last year's letdown to capture the team title by two shots over the Red Raiders, 609-607.

Kaua'i went into the final round with a six-stroke deficit and shot the lowest final-round score (305).

Waiakea still came out with its fifth title in six years.

Senior Gab-riel Wilson clinched the victory with a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole, then pumped his fist with a grin as his normally mild-mannered teammates cheered from the hillside.

"Even though we were leading by six it was by no means over yesterday," said 10th-year Waiakea coach Lee Hardy. "Mid-Pac and Kaua'i, even Baldwin and Hilo were right in there. Anybody can make up a whole lot of strokes because with golf you never know what kind of scores you'll have. Anything is possible, you have to just grind it out.

"You could see all the emotions everybody went through after Gabe made the birdie to make it official."

Higashiyama won the biggest tournament of his career — and helped Mid-Pacific take third — by avoiding disaster in the lava, bunkers, water and weird wind at Waikoloa Kings' Course.

While contenders put up big numbers all around him, Higashiyama plowed through a 1-over-par 73 with four birdie putts from within 18 feet. He had five bogeys, but was never in danger of a double- or triple-bogey.

"My bad shots didn't get me in trouble, that saved me," Higashiyama said. "I just tried to be relaxed out there and have some fun. I was playing with the best guys in the state. I just wanted to save pars. I knew I could make some birdies."

Higashiyama finished at even-par 144. That was five better than Waiakea's Ricky Kimi (74), Wai'anae's Earl Medeiros (77), Kaua'i's Cory French (75) and Punahou's Lenn Akamine, who shot the day's best round (72).

University High junior Travis Toyama, who will defend his Manoa Cup championship next month, went into the final round tied for first with Higashiyama at 1 under. By the 10th, after "three bad holes," he was 6 over.

The Kings' can come out and grab you, even when the wind is relatively serene by Waikoloa standards. The day started with tradewinds at about 15 mph. By the time it ended, Kona winds up to 20 mph were gusting, making all the hazards treacherous.

Higashiyama, who will play for University of Hawai'i-Hilo in the fall, just kept grinding it out.

"I had nothing to lose pretty much," Higashiyama said. "It's my last year, and I wasn't going to get another chance, so I just did it."

The Kaua'i squad, with one junior, two sophomores and two freshmen, will get another chance. Next year, the state tournament will be on their island, at Wailua, and Waiakea will be without seniors Kimi, Derek Inaba and Wilson.

"We're young, really young," Kaua'i coach Winston Ogata said. "I can't complain too much. They'll improve for next year and we'll be contending."

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