According to University of Hawaii at Hilo golf coach Earl Tamiya, Dalen Yamauchi is not one to watch.
According to University of Hawaii at Hilo golf coach Earl Tamiya, Dalen Yamauchi is not one to watch.
Tamiya will send out six golfers Friday, but he’s only paying attention to five.
Yamauchi has earned a mulligan or two.
“I don’t follow Dalen,” Tamiya said. “We can leave him alone.”
That’s because the veteran coach has learned what to expect from his most veteran golfer.
The defending Pacific West Conference champion Vulcans feature a pair of heavy hitters who are new to the program, Jim Coon and Connor Graves, while Nicholas Matsushima is new to the rotation and doesn’t play as long off the tee. Tamiya lauds junior Kyeton Littel for his improved course management, and freshman David Tottori is nipping at everyone’s heels for a spot.
But none has shown the consistency and steadiness of Yamauchi, a 2011 Waiakea graduate who is suddenly the Vulcans’ elder statesman.
Tamiya jokes when he calls the senior “old.” More like old reliable.
Yamauchi already has two trips to the Division II NCAA championships under his belt, and Tamiya hopes he can assume a leadership role that was vacated when Corey Kozuma graduated.
“I miss Corey, but Dalen is primed,” Tamiya said. “He’s been consistently shooting under par in practice.”
Tamiya said the program’s recent success, the Vuls have been represented at NCAAs in three of the past five seasons, has raised the bar for everyone.
“We have a track record and tradition that the boys are all shooting for,” Tamiya said. “We have goals that we’ve achieved and we want to do it again.”
Ranked 19th in the preseason, UHH opens the fall portion of its schedule at the St. Martin’s Invitational in Olympia, Wash., Friday and Saturday before moving on to Viking Invitational in Bellingham, Wash., on Monday and Tuesday. As usual, the fall season concludes with the Dennis Rose Intercollegiate, scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Waikoloa Kings’ Course.
“Our strength is that all the boys can keep the ball on the fairway,” Tamiya said.
The other returnee is a Littel, a junior who’s been a regular in the lineup since his freshman year. He has two top-five career finishes and was second to Yamauchi in preseason qualifying.
Coon, a true freshman, takes full advantage of his 6-foot-3 frame off the tee, and he’s also impressed Tamiya with his short game. Tamiya said Graves, a junior college transfer, can also show off a powerful driver and has been rounding his game into shape.
Matsushima, 5-2, is a senior whose tournament success on his native Oahu — he reached the Manoa Cup final in 2012 — has never translated to college.
Tamiya thinks that may be ready to change.
“He’s been hitting a lot of greens and his game is a lot more solid,” he said. “Before, he never did the right things.”
Tottori, a true freshman, will golf as an individual at St. Martin’s, but if he beats any of his teammates he’ll crack the top five at Bellingham.
“The high man gets left out,” Tamiya said. “It will be about who has the most heart.”
WE did al right for the first touena. We made a lot of mistajes, but therue are corects
Jim starts foo bad wevery rojnd anmd fibnshed strong. Conr for-puuted sewcond to-alset hole second hole. LOt of eoo for improvement,
Perfrect. No win, no rain stormed, bedautrolf inOluympa, . Wouild uou nbelviece that.
loling at the kids today, we should
talked about it know Bervoius. amd exsdiong
He did not have,