Punahou’s Kiyuam takes 1-shot lead at state boys golf

Familiarity breeds contempt for some, but familiarity with Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course earned Bret Kiyuna the lead after one round of the David Ishii/HHSAA Boys Golf State Championships on Tuesday.

The Punahou sophomore was in the final group, arguably facing the most unpredictable gusts at Mokapu, where swirling winds are the norm. Winds were regularly 13 mph, with occasional blowouts of 25 mph. It was much windier on Tuesday than it was for the girls state championships last week.

Kiyuna carded a par 72, edging Kealakehe senior Malakai Akeo, who posted a 1-over 73. A group of three were 2 over: St. Joseph freshman Leo Saito, Braylon Yamada of Maryknoll and Ryder Obrero-Ueno of Island Pacific.

Kiyuna wore his white American Junior Golf Association hat through the ups and downs of round one.

“I usually play pretty good with this hat,” he said. “I feel good, but I’m a little nervous. I played kind of good today, but I still definitely left some shots out there. Hopefully, I can fix that tomorrow.”

Kaneohe Klipper, he noted, is his “home course,” though his family lives in Honolulu.

“I play here every week, pretty much. It’s the best practice facility with the chipping green,” he said. “Today, the wind was pretty bad.”

Kiyuna started on No. 10. The back nine was problematic for the entire field. There were lots of birdies to go around, but scorecards were also tattooed with bogeys and worse.

“I had bogey, bogey, and then birdie, then a double (bogey). I shot 2 over on the back nine. I was actually pretty satisfied with that. I had a rough start,” he said.

Akeo agreed about the back nine.

“Definitely 10 is a tough par-5. I started on that hole, got a bogey. There’s a par-3 in the front, (No.) 6 hole is hard. It’s 175 (yards) into the wind, small green,” he said. “If you’re in between clubs, just club up. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Holes 1 through 3 normally have headwinds, but it was different Tuesday.

“It was blowing left to right, and that doesn’t really pair with me because I tend to fade. I kind of just play with the wind. I don’t really try to get too fancy with my shots,” Kiyuna said.

That approach, thanks to experience at Klipper, was different from Akeo’s and Saito’s.

The second and final round tees off early today with similar sunny, windy conditions expected. The group at 75, three strokes off the lead, is comprised of Gunnar Lee (Moanalua), Quade Martinez (Kalaheo), Caden Kawashige (Roosevelt) and Lakota Lee (Kihei Charter).

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow because I think (the wind) probably won’t get worse,” Kiyuna said. “Shout out to my coach, Coach Ian (Parrish), and also my swing coach, Coach Kevin Shimamura.”

Akeo’s composure was key.

“I had six bogeys, three birdies and an eagle,” he said. “The greens were rolling well. Putting was good. Speed control was a little bit of an issue, but we’ll work on that tomorrow. I love the fast greens.”