RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kailua's Chase Chulakote hit a drive on hole No. 6 during the OIA golf championships at Turtle Bay yesterday.
Mililani wins
OIA boys titleMoanalua's Hori leads
the Menehunes to the
girls title with a 76
Mililani had to work overtime yesterday to earn its first Oahu Interscholastic Association golf championship in 16 years.
The Trojan boys team captured its first league title since 1987 by beating Kailua in a sudden-death playoff at the Turtle Bay Resort's Palmer Course.
Mililani sophomore Dane Serikaku gave the Trojans the advantage with a par on the first playoff hole and classmate Bud Nakabayashi sealed the win with a dramatic bogey.
"I'm proud of these guys because nobody talked about them all season, it was always everybody else," Mililani coach Mark Kalilikane said.
Kailua senior Chase Chulakote carded a 2-over, final-round 74 to claim the boys individual championship. Moanalua senior Ayumi Hori shot 76 to win her third girls title and lead the Menehunes to the team crown.
In the boys team competition, Mililani and Kailua finished with identical scores of 325.
The top four players from each team were paired off for the playoff. In the first group, Chulakote and teammate Sam Rodriguez made bogey, as did Mililani's Bronson Kalilikane. Serikaku put the Trojans ahead by staying in the fairway and knocking down a par putt.
Nakabayashi, playing in the second group, put himself in a hole by hitting his drive out of bounds to the right. He recovered by drilling his second drive down the fairway and sticking his approach shot to within 2 feet of the cup.
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Moanalua's Ayumi Hori won her third OIA title yesterday.
The remaining three players bogeyed the hole, and Nakabayshi sunk his bogey putt to clinch the title for Mililani.
Not only did his bogey give Mililani the championship, but it also earned Nakabayashi a trip to the Big Island for the upcoming state tournament as a member of the OIA championship team.
He would have missed the cut had the Trojans not won the team title.
"That was critical," Kalilikane said. "If Bud hadn't made that putt, he wouldn't have gone to states."
Prior to the playoff, Chulakote held off Waianae's Alvin Okada to win the boys individual crown.
Chulakote entered the day tied for first with Okada, Bronson Kalilikane and Pearl City's Barry Amorin.
Chulakote held a slim lead over Okada most of the day and opened the door for those behind him by hitting his tee shot on the 18th hole into the trees.
Chulakote was able to save bogey on the hole, and Okada hit his approach shot into the water fronting the green to end his chances.
"Knowing that this course is not the easiest, I thought if I could shoot around 74 to 72 I could win," Chulakote said. "I felt the scores were going to be pretty high today, which they were.
"I was striking the ball well, hitting good drives, I just couldn't really make any putts. I was getting on the green in regulation and had good chances for birdies but I just couldn't make the putts."
Hori started the day two strokes behind McKinley's Tiffany Takao, but went 3-under on the first six holes to seize control. She struggled to a 41 on the back nine, but it was enough to hold off runner-up Randi Ono of Pearl City.
Hori, who won the OIA title her freshman and sophomore seasons, said a lesson in focus with instructor Kevin Hayashi on Sunday played an important role in her win.
"He said my swing was already set and to focus on my game and don't watch people hit and not be concerned with their scores," Hori said.
Moanalua won its third team championship in four years by finishing with a score of 242. Roosevelt came in second at 258.
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