WAILUA — Team Atlanta broke a first-day deadlock to capture the Front Nine Sunday, 10-6, but the Team Kaua‘i golfers dug deep to capture the Back Nine, 8.5-6.5, and edge past Team Atlanta by just one point at the Wailua
WAILUA — Team Atlanta broke a first-day deadlock to capture the Front Nine Sunday, 10-6, but the Team Kaua‘i golfers dug deep to capture the Back Nine, 8.5-6.5, and edge past Team Atlanta by just one point at the Wailua Golf Course.
The win, 24.5 points to Atlanta’s 23.5 points, gives Kaua‘i its only second win in the eight-year history of the goodwill tournament which feature the best of the Kaua‘i Junior Golf Association and the Atlanta Junior Golf Association.
Taylor Viquelia, consistent golfer for the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation, teamed with Daezsa Tomas, another consistent KIF golfer, to lead Team Kaua‘i, Saturday when the team picked up wins in the Foursome and Four-Ball competition in the tournament played under the Ryder Cup format.
Sunday, Viquelia swept the Singles play over Atlanta’s Anna Davenport, taking both the Front 9 and Back 9 and Overall.
Tomas, claiming the individualist honors over Taylor Allen of Atlanta, dropped her Front 9 before coming back to claim the Back 9.
That scenario summed up Kaua‘i’s performance on the Front 9 where the redshirted Kaua‘i golfers struggled through before settling down.
Na‘ea Oda, tying Whitney Stevenson following the Front 9, came back to take the Back 9 and the overall.
“There’s a lot of points to earn out there today,” said volunteer Sam Pratt on Sunday. “They tied Saturday, so it’s up to the golfers to get those points.”
Pono Tokioka, the top Kaua‘i High School boys golfer, struggled through both days, dropping his individual matches to Bailey Ulp of Atlanta after splitting the team event Saturday, the Tokioka/Kenji Miyata team claiming the Four-Ball match.
Miyata, rebounding from the opening Foursomes loss, came back to get the Four-Ball and swept his Sunday individual round, besting Jake Brown of Atlanta on both the Front 9 and Back 9.
Jamie Amimoto, teaming with Braeden Salvador, took both the Foursome and Four-Ball matches, but on Sunday, Salvador tied Harrison Sewell on the Front 9 before dropping the Back 9 to Matthew Collins.
Amimoto split his series against Hunter Bremer, dropping the Front 9 and winning the Back 9.
The Team Atlanta golfers left Kaua‘i Monday after arriving here last Wednesday for the tournament, spending their time with host Kaua‘i Junior Golf Association host families.
Visit http://atjga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/atjga11/event/atjga11123/contest/3/leaderboard.htm for complete results of the tournament.
