WAIMEA — The BIIF Golf Individual Championship was played Tuesday at Mauna Kea Golf Course. Hawai‘i Prep senior Isabella Rodriguez won the girls championship and Waiakea High School senior Dysen Park won his second straight BIIF Champion title.
18 boys and nine girls competed on the par-72 course.
Park’s total to-par gross was -2, shooting 68 to win round one and 74 during round two to gross a total of 142 — edging Kealakehe High School’s Kevin Yamashita, who placed second with a total gross of 145 and shot 69 to win round two.
“Dysen is a good course manager,” Waiakea boys head coach Alika Toledo said. “He managed his part of the game.”
Rodriguez recorded a to-par gross of +32, shooting 85 for round one and shooting 91 to win round two and card a total gross of 176. Close behind was teammate Nina An, who grossed 179 total with a to-par gross of +35 — and shot 83 to win round one. Adrianna Volpe of Kamehameha Schools -Hawai‘i (+48, 90, 102, 192) placed third. HPA’s Ella Forrest (+52, 99, 97, 196) placed fourth and Waiakea’s Kiara Kimata (+52, 91, 105, 196) placed fifth.
Two other Waiakea boys golfers, Noah Otani (+7, 73, 78, 151) and Ryder Ng (+10, 74, 80, 154), also notched top-five finishes — in third and fourth place, respectively. Fifth place went to Austin Rabenneck of Kealakehe (+12, 77, 79, 156). HPA’s Matty Inaba (+13, 82, 75, 157) placed sixth, followed by Waiakea’s fourth competitor — Jake Otani (+13, 73, 84, 157) — in seventh.
The top 16 boys from the BIIF Championship and top 11 girls from Saturday’s BIIF Championship Qualifier have qualified to attend the HHSAA State Championship at Wailua Golf Course — on Kauai May 9-10th for the girls and May 11-12th for the boys.
Toledo said that his team’s goal is to win state this year.
“The boys know and understand what’s at stake,” he said. “They’re tight-knit boys, the competition is heavy among them. You should have heard them trash-talking in the van on the way to individuals.”
Toledo also said the he and his team will arrive early to practice at Wailua days prior to the state championship — and that until then, they will practice at Waikoloa Village Golf Course.
At last year’s state tournament, Ng placed No.18 and Park finished at No.20. Waiakea placed fifth as a team. Yamashita also attended the state, and placed No.14.
