DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Stephanie Kono blasted out of this bunker on the 12th hole during yesterday's first round of the Jennie K Invitational at Mid-Pacific Country Club in Lanikai.
Course can’t trick
Kono at Jennie K
Golf can be a tricky sport, just like Mid-Pacific Country Club can be a tricky course.
Neither plays the same from round to round. Wind, fast greens and difficult pin placements can be factors ... just as they were during yesterday's opening round of the 53rd Jennie K Invitational.
Defending champion Kira-Ann Murashige knows well how things change from day to day. The Hilo High junior trailed by a stroke after the first round of last week's state championship, but went on to win it by five strokes.
Yesterday, Murashige carded a first-round 79 to trail Stephanie Kono (73) by six strokes. Waiakea High sophomore Amanda Wilson, last year's state high school runner-up, shared second at 74 with Bobbi Kokx, the former University of Hawaii golfer and coach who won this event in 1984 and 2000.
"I'm not worried yet, it's only the first round," said Murashige, who was tied for ninth with former UH golfer Desiree Ting and 11-year-old Kimberly Kim of the Big Island. "Today was easier than last year. I got longer (on drives), but the greens were hard.
"To win it? I'll have to have two rounds under par."
Kono, a seventh-grader at Punahou School, was the closest to par yesterday off the ladies' tees on the 5,715-yard layout. She bogeyed Nos. 4 and 6, but a birdie on No. 8 put her 1 over at the turn; she was even on the back nine.
"The greens were kind of tricky and I didn't hit my driver well," said Kono, who tied for third in this event last year. "I think I'm hitting longer than last year, and that gives me a greater chance to hit the greens and make birdies.
"Today, I hit it pretty long, but I had problems with most of my putts."
Putting was the bane of old and young alike. Kokx, 39, had three birdies to play the front nine even, but double-bogeyed No. 15 to finish the back nine at 2 over.
Cyd Okina, the youngest ever in the field at age 9, summed it up when saying, "My putting was screwed up. That's what I need to work on for tomorrow ... badly."
Okina, a fourth-grader at Liholiho Elementary, struggled with the fast greens and double-bogeyed three holes on the back nine to finish at 90, tied for 17th in the A Flight. Yuko Abergas led the A Flight with an 80, one stroke ahead of Alexandria Ahn.
Playing on her home course wasn't much of an advantage for Bridget Dwyer, a Punahou graduate who is a junior on the UCLA women's golf team. She carded a 5-over 77 and was in seventh place when heading out on the Lanikai course this morning.
"The greens are the best I've ever seen them," said Dwyer, who flew home just for this event. "They were very quick and I didn't get my putts to drop. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow, but we now have an idea of what to expect with the greens.
"I know I can shoot a lot lower than I did. I've got to play smart. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I could win it."
Other first-round leaders were: Mary Ann Shintani (82, B Flight), Mimi Fukushima (87, C), Yoshiko Koyama (86, D) and Angie Navin (92, E). The tournament concludes tomorrow.
