PO‘IPU — If there was a day the golf course ate golfers, Saturday would have to have been it. Kaua‘i High School individualist Kelli Oride shot a seven-over par 79 for the best shot of the day for the field
PO‘IPU — If there was a day the golf course ate golfers, Saturday would have to have been it.
Kaua‘i High School individualist Kelli Oride shot a seven-over par 79 for the best shot of the day for the field of Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation golfers. Following Oride, fellow Raider golfer Rae-Lyn Morikawa finished the round with a 95 for the second best girls’ score.
“This kind of day is perfect for her game,” said Gary Saiki, a Kapa‘a High School golf coach. “She hits low and long and the wind can’t get to her ball.”
Strong trades buffeted the golfers and squeezed the scores upwards as the high schoolers tried to overcome the elements at the Kiahuna Golf Course.
“Scores are really going to be high,” said Kaua‘i High School athletic director Ross Shimabukuro. “The best score on the front nine was a 40. At this rate, anything in the 80s would be a good score.”
Gabby Saiki, Gary’s daughter, finished with a 100, her first triple-digit score this season, to lead the Kapa‘a girls.
But that effort was not good enough to wrestle the Waimea girls’ grip as Melissa Kagawa shot a 106 to lead the Menehune wahine to its fourth straight match, 367 to Kapa‘a’s 388.
Following Kagawa, Pualani Ragasa and Hanna Pleas finished with 130 and 131, respectively for the team scoring.
Behind Saiki, Alexandra Dorn, negotiated her ball landing in a safe clump of bushes at the No. 12, finished with a 131 followed by Shiyu “Star” Song at 157.
“I give Star a lot of credit,” Gary Saiki said. “She’s been a real trooper. She comes to all the practices, carries that bag through 18 holes and she’s always got a smile on. That’s what you call a real golfer.”
At the No. 12, Song struggled with the water hazard, pitching at least four balls that Gary Saiki fished out after the group passed through.
“This has been rough,” said Kaua‘i golfer Darren Valencia who tried to negotiate through the call up at No. 12. “One Kapa‘a and one Waimea golfer dropped out already.”
Valencia, playing as an individualist, finished the round with an 87, tying fellow golfer Jordan Oda and Kapa‘a golfer Justin Uegawa who negotiated a water hazard at the No. 12.
Wiley Yoshioka and Cory Oride set the pace with 85s to lead the Kaua‘i boys to its fourth straight match with a 348 over Kapa‘a (367) and Waimea (375).
Following Yoshioka and Cory Oriden, Reyn Morioka was three strokes off the pace at 88 followed by Levi Miyashiro (90) and Kyle Furusho (94).
Uegawa’s 87 was the top score for Kapa‘a followed by Aaron Belmonte (90), Weston Moniz (92) and Sean Mamaclay (98).
Aaron Medeiros finished with a 91 to pace the Menehune men followed by Dylan Santos-Balisacan (93), Jake Kuzen (95), Shawn Tavares (96) and Ka‘imi Kaohi-Miyashiro (113).
This week’s KIF match moves back to the Puakea Golf Course starting at noon Saturday.
• Dennis Fujimoto can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com
