Good night, Fortnite, Kiyuna finds his game and wins states

For Bret Kiyuna, following a Fortnite pal into junior golf turned out to be more than whimsical. The Punahou sophomore carded a second-round 75 to finish at 3-over-par 147, two strokes ahead of Kalaheo sophomore Quade Martinez to win the individual title on Wednesday at the David Ishii/HHSAA Boys Golf State Championships.

“Bret is tenacious,” Punahou assistant coach Norm Asao said.

Punahou’s boys won the team title, and coupled with the Buffanblu girls’ team and individual crowns last week — sophomore Alexa Takai captured the girls title — it is the first time one school swept all four categories at states since 2013.

In ’13, Punahou’s girls, led by individual champion Mariel Galdiano, won at Kaanapali Golf Course. Punahou’s boys, paced by Kalena Preus, also won at Kaanapali.

“Coach Ian (Parrish), our fearless leader, he prepares the kids all season long for the big stage here,” Buffanblu assistant coach Anna Murata said.

Punahou’s top four golfers posted a combined 618 (310-208) to finish 21 strokes ahead of Waiakea (315-324). Kealakehe was third (641), followed by Kauai in fourth (658) and Mililani in fifth (658).

Moanalua (663), Kahuku (670), Baldwin (691) and Roosevelt (710) rounded out the field.

Last year, Kiyuna played on the Punahou I-AA team. That is very respectable for a freshman but he did not qualify for the state tournament. Before he started seventh grade, he decided to follow his friend, Ethan Nakatsukasa, into a new sport. Soon, golf took priority over Fortnite.

“For the first two years I started playing, I was grinding every day. Finally, last year I got my game to a place where it was good, but it didn’t really come together. Now, it’s coming together,” Kiyuna said.

Conditions at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course were windy in Tuesday’s opening round, then got even tougher on Wednesday. Kiyuna was the only golfer to shoot par in the first round. Nobody made par in round two.

On Wednesday, he struggled out of the gate with bogeys on 1, 2, 4 and 6 for a 39 on the front nine. However, his experience on the Klipper course — roughly 40 practice rounds and endless hours chipping on the practice green in the past year — paid off. From holes 7 to 18, Kiyuna shot 1-under par.

Meanwhile most of the field struggled mightily in gusts that occasionally hit 25-30 mph, plus a downpour at 12:05 p.m. It was done raining by 12:10.

“It helped me reset for sure. That was definitely nerve-wracking because that tee shot (at 13) is really hard. I got drenched right before it,” Kiyuna said. “The greens were a little bit faster today. I thought today’s weather was going to be better, but it wasn’t.”

Martinez stayed close, carding a 74 to finish at 5-over-par 149.

“This is our home course. I’ve been on this course at least 30 or 40 times,” Martinez said. “Today’s wind was definitely different. Mostly, it’s about managing emotion. One of my favorite holes was 17. I had a birdie I was 90 yards in, and I hit a 15-degree wedge, and it ended up to (within) five feet. My putting, luckily, was good today.”