Kono, 13, leads Jennie K. by two strokes

By Bill Kwon
Special to The Advertiser

LANIKAI — Stephanie Kono found herself in the same position that she held a year ago — the leader going into the final round of the Jennie K. Wilson Invitational at the Mid-Pacific Country Club.

Kayla Morinaga watches her ball at the second tee of the second round of the Jennie K. Wilson Invitational. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Everything is relative, of course, considering Kono is a 13-year-old Punahou seventh-grader who still isn't old enough to play for the school's golf team.

Kono shot her second straight 73 yesterday for a 36-hole total of 146 to lead Kaua'i High's Lehua Wise by two strokes. Joining them in the final foursome will be two-time Jennie K. champion Bobbi Kokx and Kamehameha sophomore Mari Chun, who are at 149.

Amanda Wilson, a Waiakea High sophomore who finished runner-up last year, is next at 77—151, followed by Bridget Dwyer, a Punahou graduate and a junior on the UCLA golf team, at 75—152.

"I like being in the lead," said Kono, clearly forgetting how "nerve-wracking" it was last year.

"I have a little more cushion this time," added Kono, who had led by a stroke before shooting a final-round 80 and finishing in a tie for third place.

Kono could have had an even bigger cushion yesterday if three birdie putts hadn't lipped out.

"I thought I putted well. It just wasn't falling in for me today," said Kono, who birdied two par-3s, the 11th and the sixth, as the championship field played the back nine first.

The birdie at No. 6 was a 30-foot bomb.

"I didn't expect it to go in, but once I hit it I knew it was going in," said Kono, the youngest winner of the Hawai'i State Women Golf Association Match Play Championship two years ago at the age of 11.

It turned out to be a huge three-shot swing at the hole for her.

Playing in the group ahead, Chun had taken the lead by a stroke over Kono with back-to-back birdies at the third and fourth holes after making the turn at 1-under. But Chun bogeyed the par-5 island green fifth and then double-bogeyed the par-3 sixth.

"I'm pretty happy with my round except for that (sixth) hole," said Chun, who found the right greenside rough a bit too fluffy and took two more shots to get on.

Wise, who is headed to New Mexico State this fall, was excited about her 1-over round that included birdies at the 14th, 18th and eighth holes.

"My putting was really good but my around the greens could have been better," said Wise, who finished second in the state girls championship last week to Hilo High junior Kira-Ann Murashige, the defending Jennie K. champion.

Murashige shot a 78 yesterday for a 157 total.

Still in awe at the quality of play shown by local youngsters is Kokx, 39, a former University of Hawai'i golfer and coach.

"The talent is so good," said Kokx, a third-grade teacher at Kihei Elementary School. "But when third-graders start playing against me, that's when I stop.

"Stephanie's just a pleasure to play with," she said. "She's physically and mentally strong. And her putting is assertive.

"Pars were good today," said Kokx, who had 15 of them yesterday. "I just wanted to stay in the hunt. I'm thinking Day One, even slate for tomorrow," she said.

The leaders in the championship flight are scheduled to tee off at 9:08 this morning.

Michelle Wie, who won the tournament as an 11-year-old two years ago, is not entered this year.

Correction: The photo is of Kayla Morinaga. She was misidentified in the caption in a previous version of this story. Also, Waiakea Intermediate sixth grader Kimberly Kim, 11, tied for ninth.