WAILUA — Kauai’s Jamie Amimoto fired a 1-over par 73 Saturday to rise to the top Kauai Interscholastic Federation golf individualist spot at the Wailua Golf Course. Amimoto, tied with Kapaa’s Bryden Salvador following Friday’s opening round at 77, broke
WAILUA — Kauai’s Jamie Amimoto fired a 1-over par 73 Saturday to rise to the top Kauai Interscholastic Federation golf individualist spot at the Wailua Golf Course.
Amimoto, tied with Kapaa’s Bryden Salvador following Friday’s opening round at 77, broke open Saturday to finish with a two-day 150 (77-73), 10 strokes ahead of Salvador and Kapaa’s Kainalu Gandia.
“He’s smiling,” Alton Amimoto, the Kauai boys coach, said Saturday while monitoring the field at Wailua. “Jamie’s pounding some long drives. And he’s smiling. That must mean he’s happy with what he is doing.”
The KIF qualifying golf match which started Friday and wrapped up Saturday determines who fills in the spots for the state golf tournament.
Dino Pabre, the Kauai High School athletic director, said the boys’ field includes five golfers for the team spot and two open. The girls’ field includes four golfers for the team plus one open spot.
Salvador (80-80) and Gandia (77-83) each finished in a tie for second place at 160 and earn the individualist spots for the boys.
Amimoto will lead the Kauai boys team followed by Keith Jose (78-84-162), Trevor Kua (89-77-166), Anthony Jude Apalla (82-85-167) and Deven Kimoto (86-91-177).
Island School’s Reece Valencia finished the tournament in fourth with a 162 (78-84) and Waimea’s Ky Tomimoto led the Menehune in 19th at 196 (99-97).
On the girls’ course, Kapaa’s Naea Oda was tied with Kauai’s Hiilani Alana following the opening round. Oda pulled ahead Saturday to finish with a 77, a stroke better than Alana to claim the girls individualist title with a 158 (81-77) and the open spot for the girls state tournament.
Alana, finishing with a 159 (81-78), will lead the Kauai girls team which includes Janae Park (9-84-159), Dillyn Sakai (99-99-198), and Kiri Oshiro (99-105-204).
Waimea’s Samantha Nichols finished the tournament in fourth overall with a 183 (90-93), and Island School’s Salisa Pegeder finished 10th with a 213 (102-111).
The girls will play in the 2015 David S. Ishii Foundation Hawaii High School Athletic Association golf championships May 4-5 at the Waikoloa Resort-Kings Course on the Big Island.
The boys tee off at the same course May 7-8.
