KALAELOA — A difference of a foot separated Spencer Shishido and Tadd Fujikawa from a playoff at yesterday's Barbers Point Invitational. That would be Fujikawa's 5-foot birdie putt on the final hole, which he missed, and Shishido's 4-foot putter, with which he made two "ridiculous" putts on the back nine.

Shishido, an Iolani senior, rolled in a pair of "crazy long" putts of more than 30 feet for eagle and birdie to win by one over Fujikawa, a Moanalua freshman.

A closing round of 3-under 69 gave Shishido the first golf title in his young career, at 213. Fujikawa, who has won two "adult" and one state junior title this year, shot 72—214.

Ironically, it was a Shishido three-putt on the final hole that made it interesting, along with a friendly tree.

The duo chased down 2003 state high school champion Troy Higashiyama, who took a seven-shot lead into the final round. Higashiyama scrambled to up his lead to eight at the turn, then his driver deserted him.

He hit two balls out of play and shot 44 on the back nine. Shishido nervously took the final tee with a two-shot lead over Fujikawa and Higashiyama.

"The last three holes I could feel my heart beat when I was putting," he admitted.

He thought about hitting a 3-wood, but grabbed his driver, which had been reliable all day.

The moment his club face hit the ball, Shishido knew he had pulled it. It hooked down the left side, but caught a tree and went through, actually kicking right toward the fairway.

"I thought it was out," he said. "I don't know how it came in. That was my day today. I was just lucky."

Nearly 100 yards behind Fujikawa and Higashiyama on the 400-yard hole, Shishido hit the front of the green with his approach shot. He left his first putt about 4 feet short.

Fujikawa hit a 60-degree wedge to 5 feet. After watching Shishido putt from one angle and Higashiyama (who finished third at 215) from another, Fujikawa and his father/caddie lined up the birdie/playoff putt and aimed inside left of the hole.

The ball veered right immediately and never had a chance. Fujikawa grimaced, then grimaced again when Shishido's par putt did not drop.

"He was making a lot of putts," Fujikawa said. "One was like 60 feet and he and Troy on the front nine were making amazing putts, unbelievable, from everywhere."

Shishido eagled two par-5s, sinking a 10-foot putt at the ninth and one from so far away he couldn't even offer an educated guess — "50 feet maybe, or even 60" — on the 12th. The breaking downhill 30-footer for birdie at the 16th proved to be the difference.

So did the 48-inch "belly" putter he switched to two months ago, with "lifelong mentor" David Ishii's blessing.

"I had the yips with the short putter," said Shishido, who likes the stability of the long putter, particularly on short putts. "I asked David if he could help me with my putting and he couldn't cure the yips so he gave me three belly putters and told me to pick the one I wanted to use. I took the longest."

Fujikawa sank four birdie putts from inside 6 feet and also drained a long one (20 feet) on the 16th. But a three-putt on the third — the first of three bogeys — and double-bogey out of the bushes on the 13th came back to haunt him.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.