Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii – Consistency was key for both Lorens Chan and Team Iolani today who took home the individual and team championship wins today on the Royal Ka’anapali Course. The par 71, 6700-yard course proved to be a true test of playing ability for Hawaii’s top high school golfers. Iolani Senior, David Fink came close to edging out freshman, Chan, but fell just two strokes short.
Lorens, a freshman at Iolani on Oahu, has a proven track record at Ka’anapali had an up and down round, much like his fellow competitors. At one point, he trailed Kamehameha School’s Aaron Kunitomo, but was able to make back to back birdies on #11 and #12 to take the lead once again.
Chan commented, “That was the turning point for me. I bombed my drive pretty good on #11 and left myself only 50 yards to the pin – I then chipped up close and was able to make birdie.” He added, “Same thing on #12, I hit my drive right up the middle and I drained a 30 foot putt for birdie.” Chan and Fink are friends on and off the course and they knew it was going to be close between them. Although they weren’t in the same foursome, they kept track of how each other were doing all day.
Fink will be attending Oregon State next year and had to leave just after finishing his round today to hop on a plane back to Honolulu for his Volleyball Game, where is one of their best players as well. Fink had a similar day today as yesterday and was -3 at one point, but fell back on the closing four holes to come in even at 71 today, finishing at 2nd place behind his teammate Chan.
Henry Park was the quiet competitor all week and snuck in a few birdies today to secure his even par round and a 3rd place tie for the 2-day tournament. Park attends Kealakehe on the Big Island and has made the top five individual placements three out of four years for the HHSAA Boys Golf Championship.
Kauai High School’s Cory Oride said he struggled a bit during his round today, but his short game helped him to stay in the leader mix. “I tried to really focus on my own game – I was pretty consistent off the tee,” Oride commented. He then added, “The greens are tricky here – very quick but putting is one of my strengths so that game me an advantage.” Oride’s sister, Kelli took home the 2nd place trophy last week in the Girls State Championship. When asked if his sister game him any tips for this week, Cory said, “Kelli told me to check the wind on every shot – when the trades are blowing, you really have to be aware of that and adjust your club selection or ball placement.”
With Chan and Fink taking 1st and 2nd place, that secured Team Iolani’s place and trophy for Team Champions with a 2-day team score of 601. Moanalua was 18 strokes back at 619, with Tyler Ota of Moanalua taking 8th place individually to help beat out defending champions, Punahou School.
Sponsor and PGA Professional, David S. Ishii congratulated all the athletes who competed in the State Tournament. “This is the best state tournament we’ve had since I’ve been working with the HHSAA and that’s over 10 years. I want to thank Ed Kageyama and the staff at Ka’anapali for going above and beyond to make this week special for all players,” said Ishii. He added, “The reason we got involved in the tournament is to help young golfers – it is great for the kids across the state to travel and compete and network with the other kids. For some, this is the top of their golf career and Ka’anapali hosted an event they will never forget.”
PGA General Manager Ed Kageyama also spoke to the group, “We are glad to be able to support the High School golf program and had a great time hosting the best golfers across the state the last two weeks here at the resort.”
See attached files for all individual and team scores as well as pairings for final round.
ABOUT KA‘ANAPALI GOLF RESORT: The Royal Ka‘anapali Course, a Robert Trent Jones Senior design, opened in 1962 and has tested the skills of golf professionals and amateurs alike. A Par 71 stretching 6700 yards, the Royal Course combines wide fairways and undulating greens, making it both distinctive and demanding. Home of the Champions Tour Ka‘anapali Classic for 14 years, the Royal Ka‘anapali Course also hosted Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, the Canada Cup and LPGA Kemper Open, donning such golfing greats as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Jan Stephenson and Betsey King.
Over the last three years, Ka‘anapali Golf Resort has invested over $13 million in renovations and infrastructure. Golf course architect, Robin Nelson, was brought in to oversee the rework of the Ka‘anapali Kai Course and enhancements to the championship Royal Ka‘anapali Course. Ka‘anapali hosts the Wendy’s Champions SKIN GAME each winter and recently hosted Golf Channel’s reality show,
Big Break Ka‘anapali. The winner of
Big Break Ka’anapali, Kim Welch, recently finished 10th on the money list on the Duramed Futures Tour which allows her to gain a 1-year tour card on the LPGA for 2009.
For more information about Ka‘anapali Golf Resort visit
www.kaanapaligolfresort.com or call (808) 661-3691.
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