KOHALA COAST — By the time the leaders teed off at Hapuna Golf Course on Tuesday, the wind had died down, but the greens were not as forgiving.
No lead was safe as both first round front-runners found themselves in a battle with the course and competition. By the end of the day, two champions emerged from the pack, one a surprise, the other, not so much. The common thread — neither was in front at the start of the day.
Waiakea’s Mari Ebersole outlasted teammate Lacey Uchida on a playoff hole to claim her second consecutive BIIF girls title. For the boys, Hilo’s Riley Kaneshiro surprised the field and himself by claiming his first championship.
Uchida entered the second day of competition with a two-stroke lead on Ebersole after shooting a low round of 71 at Hualalai Golf Course on Sunday. Uchida started out strong on Tuesday, extending her advantage to five strokes through six holes.
After a bogey on the sixth, Ebersole began to rebound, making up three strokes over the next three holes. She birdied the No. 10 and Uchida put up a double bogey on the 12th to even the match.
“I came out and told myself that I couldn’t control how others played and that I had to play my own game,” Ebersole said. “I knew I needed to do better than last year’s score because the field was way more competitive this year.”
As the round went on Uchida was struggling with her putting on the difficult greens.
“I had a hard time with my putting today. It just wasn’t going so well for me but other than that it was a pretty good day,” Uchida said. “I was a bit nervous but it was a lot of fun.”
Both players battled down the stretch with Ebersole managing to take a one-stroke lead into the 18th hole. On the green, Ebersole missed a par putt, allowing Uchida a chance to sink a shot to send the round into a playoff. Controlling her nerves the best she could, Uchida managed to make the putt.
Through 18 holes on Day 2, Ebersole stood at 76 and Uchida at 78. Both had a two-day total score of 149. For the playoff, both players met on the first hole tee box and were both feeling the pressure.
Ebersole hit her tee shot down the middle, while Uchida found the rough on the right side. Ebersole then knocked her approach shot to within five feet of the pin, while Uchida’s shot went long, finding the fringe on the backside.
Uchida putted from the fringe, sending the ball about five feet past the hole. However, Ebersole also missed her putt, before sinking the second one.
Needing one more clutch putt to continue the match, Uchida pushed her ball right of the hole, tapping in for bogey. Ebersole’s par claimed her second title.
“When I missed that putt, I thought we were going to go to a second playoff hole,” Ebersole said. “I really wanted Lacey to make her next putt because she — and the rest of my teammates — have helped push me this year. I have shot some of my best scores this season because of them.”
Like Ebersole, Kaneshiro also entered the second day of competition in second place, trailing Kamehameha’s Pono Yanagi by two strokes. Yanagi was the heavy favorite to claim the championship, but he struggled to drop birdie putts and Kaneshiro took advantage.
Yanagi had a rough start, posting a double bogey on the first hole. Kaneshiro managed only a bogey to make up one stroke, but then he birdied the fourth hole to move into a tie.
“After my double and his birdie, we were tied for the longest time and that made the round pretty interesting,” Yanagi said. “Overall, the 18 holes were a battle.”
Both players stayed even through the rest of the front nine and through the first four holes of the back. On the 14th hole, Kaneshiro finally found an advantage.
“I hit my second shot to about seven feet and I ended up making birdie,” said Kaneshiro, who two-putted the par-5 for a one-stroke lead. “The course was nice and there were a lot of holes that were accessible since we did not get the wind we were expecting.”
Kaneshiro finished the second round of the championships with a 73 for a two-day score of 146. Yanagi finished the round with a 77 for a two-day score of 148.
“This is not something I expected,” Kaneshiro said. “Prior to this, I was shooting in the 80s and 90s, but something just clicked at Hualalai.
For Yanagi, though not winning BIIF was a disappointment, he now turns his focus to the state tournament.
“Unfortunately things did not go my way today but now I am focusing on states and I believe, with my game, I can win,” Yanagi said. “Hopefully it will all come together at that moment.”