Posted on: Friday, May 7, 2004
Toyama wins playoff to repeat in ILH golf
| • | Baseball: Pearl City edges Kalani |
Advertiser Staff
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| Travis Toyama defeated Lance Hirai in a playoff that started on Wednesday at Ko Olina and ended yesterday at Waialae.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Toyama, a University High senior, defeated Iolani senior Lance Hirai after three sudden-death playoff holes yesterday at Waialae Country Club. The scheduled 36-hole tournament began way back on April 26 at Oahu Country Club.
"It's been a long tournament — two (rounds) stretched out over a week and a half," Toyama said. "But at least it gives you time in between to work on your mistakes."
The playoff actually began Wednesday night at Ko Olina after Toyama, Hirai and Damien's Kurt Nino finished tied with two-day scores of 148. Nino was eliminated with a bogey on the first playoff hole, but darkness forced the sudden-death to move to Waialae yesterday.
They each made par on the first hole yesterday, and Toyama had a chance to win on the par-3 second but three-putted from 15 feet for bogey. Hirai got on in three and tapped in to halve the hole.
On the third playoff hole, Waialae's par-5 No. 9, Hirai drove into a fairway bunker and — with an awkward lie — had to punch out. He then missed the green on his third shot and left his chip short.
Toyama, meanwhile, cut the dogleg on his drive and got his approach close, then chipped it to 4 feet and sank the birdie putt to win it.
"I was looking at making birdie because the way Lance was playing (Wednesday), he was able to get up-and-down from anywhere," Toyama said.
Toyama's victory capped an outstanding season in which he fired a 9-under 61 at Kalakaua and 4-under 68s at Turtle Bay and Navy-Marine.
The ILH title did not come easily, however, as Toyama did not get home until 8:30 Wednesday night then worked until 1 a.m. on an English class presentation for his final exam yesterday. But he said he would much rather go through the unusual playoff than go to scorecards to break the tie or be a co-champion.
"If they went to scorecards, I would have finished third," said Toyama, who won the Manoa Cup in 2002 at age 15. "For a championship, I think it should be settled on the course, and I'm glad it was."
BASKETBALL
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE OF HONOLULU
Girls Varsity
Division II
Kamehameha 58, Hawai'i Baptist 34
Kamehameha: Aubrey Kimnec 18, Ho'o Hee 10. HBA: Rayna Kitaguchi 14.
