Wednesday, March 28, 2001
Her name is pronounced Shy-rah, and with one swing of a sand-wedge she entered into high school golf lore. Roosevelt’s got an
By Jason Kaneshiro
ace in Suyetsugu
Star-Bulletin
Roosevelt High's Xyra Suyetsugu etched her name in the Oahu Interscholastic Association record books March 5 by sinking a hole-in-one in an Eastern Division tournament at New Ewa Beach Golf Course.
While OIA golf coordinator Duane Izumi recalls another hole-in-one in OIA competition in the late 1990s, most who have stepped to a tee understand the difficulty of attaining golf's equivalent of nirvana.
"Any golfer will tell you a hole-in-one is pretty hard to come by," said Roosevelt coach Al Kaaihue, who has three aces of his own. "So any time somebody gets one it's a big thing."
Which is why Castle coach John Kaimana mounted a copy of the scorecard documenting Suyetsugu's feat in a koa frame, while the ball owns a place of honor in Suyetsugu's trophy case.
THE ROUGH RIDER FRESHMAN, playing her first full round at the course, lined up her shot after surveying the layout of New Ewa Beach's 81-yard, par-3 eighth hole. She pulled a sand-wedge out of her bag and took a swing that will live forever in her memory.
"I was planning my shot and there was a slope and I knew the ball would run to the water," she recalled. "I aimed it to the right of the green."
The ball jumped off her club face at impact, soaring toward the green. After landing softly, the dimpled sphere began rolling to the left, just as she had foreseen.
"I thought, 'go in the hole, go in the hole,' " said Suyetsugu, who was named after an Australian model. "And when it went in the hole I was shocked."
With a torrent of adrenaline flowing through her body, Suyetsugu might have been excused if she posted a big number on the next hole. But instead of allowing the euphoria of having just bottled lightning fluster her, she followed the ace with a birdie on the ninth hole en route to carding a round of 74, her best of the season.
The round has helped put Suyetsugu near to the top of the OIA East golf standings this season. She currently ranks second to Moanalua's Ayumi Hori in the division with an average of 80 in OIA tournaments entering today's regular season finale at Leilehua Golf Course. As a team, the Rough Riders are second, behind Moanalua.
"She's pretty seasoned for a freshman," Kaaihue said. "It's probably because of competitions she's been in before. She's been in this situation before, so nothing really bothers her."
Suyetsugu's success in her first season of high school competition can be traced to her father's eye for talent. Alan Suyetsugu saw potential in his daughter's swing four years ago when she would smack a few balls during outings at the local driving range. It wasn't long before Alan enrolled Xyra in lessons and signed her up with the Oahu Junior Golf Association.
"She had a halfway decent swing and she had pretty good composure, so we put her in there to see what she could do," Alan Suyetsugu said.
AT AGE 9, Xyra shot a 93 in her first OJGA tournament at the Hawaii Kai Executive Course and went on to qualify for the Junior World Championships.
Last year, she played in the Women's Amateur Public Links Championships held at the Legacy Golf Links in Aberdeen, North Carolina, where she carded a two-round total of 159.
The experience of playing in major competitions at a young age helped her develop a cool demeanor on the course, which allows her to keep an even temper when shots go awry. While Kaaihue cites Suyetsugu's ability to drive the ball farther than most girls her age as a reason for her success, her mental stability may be even more impressive.
"She has a good head on her shoulders for a young girl, real mature," Kaaihue said. "Whether she shot good or whether she shot bad, you cannot tell by her reactions. She can tell you she's shooting bad, but she doesn't show any emotions, she doesn't even get upset."
WHILE SUYETSUGU PREPARES for the upcoming division and league championships, she also has her sights set on playing beyond high school after dueling with a number of college-level golfers in the Public Links championships.
"It was a good experience, because a lot of college kids play in that tournament," said Alan Suyetsugu, who also has an ace to his credit. "She had a chance to see what kind of game they have, and found out with a little bit of practice she can be as good as them."
And if her progress over the remainder of her high school career matches that of her first four years in the sport, everyone in the local golf community will soon know her name.
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