Kono goes wire-to-wire to capture Jennie K. title
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
LANIKAI — First, Stephanie Kono became Hawai'i's youngest state match play champion. Yesterday, the soft-spoken Punahou seventh-grader enhanced her golf reputation by winning the Jennie K. Invitational, giving her titles in two of the three most prestigious Hawai'i women's golf tournaments by the age of 13.
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The difference between the titles was 2 years, 25 yards off the tee and an intriguing new demeanor.
Stephanie Kono missed this par putt on the 14th green, but still dominated the field in the Jennie K. Wilson Invitational, winning by four strokes. See scores in For the Record.
Call it Kono with an attitude.
"She's more ... fiery," said two-time Jennie K. champion Bobbi Kokx, who teaches school as opposed to the others who finished in the top eight, who attend it. "I like that a lot because she's going to need it. There's more emotion."
Kono blew by everyone at breezy Mid-Pacific Country Club, closing a wire-to-wire win with a 6-over-par 78 and a tournament total of 8-over 224. It is the seventh-best score in the history of the Jennie K., which began in 1950.
"My heart was racing," Kono said. "I was really nervous coming down the stretch. Even now I'm nervous. ... This is a big one for me. I've looked forward to winning this tournament since the first time I played — two years ago. It feels really different for me."
Punahou graduate Bridget Dwyer (76-228), a junior on the UCLA golf team, birdied the last hole to take second. Kokx (80), state high school runner-up Lehua Wise (81) and Kamehameha sophomore Mari Chun (80) tied for third.
Defending champion Kira-Ann Murashige shot the day's low round (75) to take seventh. Murashige, a Hilo High junior, won the state high school championship nine days ago.
A year ago, Kono went into the final round with a one-shot advantage and let it get away. Yesterday, her dominance could not be denied. Even after a bogey-bogey-bogey hiccup early, Kono's advantage remained at three.
She played the final 11 holes in 3-over, with a trio of par putts lipping out. Kono's astonishingly long drives rarely strayed from the fairway and her pure putting touch never left her far from the hole.
While everyone else flirted with disaster, Kono flirted with destiny.
Kokx hit just six greens in regulation. Wise had four straight bogeys early and Chun didn't have a birdie. Waiakea sophomore Amanda Wilson, who was runnerup last year, stood second after 13 holes yesterday, but played the final three holes in 4-over.
Meanwhile, Kono kept bombing drives with her rhythmic swing, leading to short approach shots and pressure-free pars.
"She reminds me a lot of Rachel Kyono," said Kokx, referring to the Pepperdine sophomore who has won two state stroke play championships at Mid-Pacific. "She's strong, by the hole, rolls the putts up close and either makes the putt or taps in for par and just moves on. She's real steady."
Kyono has put on 25 pounds of muscle — she now weighs 125 — since making her stunning entrance into Hawai'i golf history two years ago. She is weight training three times a week and hits her drives an average of 265 yards.
But coach/caddy Kevin Ralbovsky said the most dramatic difference came from within. Kono remains gentle and humble, but she is much more self-confident and focused.
"She basically raised her level of determination," Ralbovsky said. "She came into this tournament to win it as opposed to before where she just wanted to play well. This is a very different mind-set for her.
"She wants to be a great player and that's the biggest motivation she has."
