WAIKAPU - Ariel Elftman-Hanson is a wanted man, and he knows it.
The Baldwin High School junior shot a 72 during the second round of the Maui Interscholastic League individual golf championships Friday at Kahili Golf Course to retain the lead, by one stroke over Seabury Hall's Alex Chiarella.
"I have the target on my back, for sure," said Elftman-Hanson, who had a two-round total of 142. "They're all going to be charging, so I just have to play my own game and worry about my own shots."
Article Photos
Baldwin High School’s Ariel Elftman-Hanson watches his putt on the 18th green at Kahili Golf Course during the second round of the Maui Interscholastic League individual championships on Friday.
The Maui News / LEHIA APANA?photo
The girls leader also remained the same - sophomore Kimberlie Miyamoto of Baldwin held on to the top spot after shooting a 75 for a total of 146. Teammate Marissa Ura-domo was five back after a 78.
The five-round tournament is to continue today at the Wailea Old Blue Course.
The Kamehameha Maui boys and Baldwin girls automatically qualified their top five players for the state tournament as MIL team champions, while individual play will decide the league's final berths at Kauai's Wailua Golf Course.
Chiarella, who won the MIL title in 2010, shot a 71.
"I wasn't sure what I was going to shoot today because I was never in the position before," Elftman-Hanson said of leading after the first round. "I wasn't sure how I was going to back that up, but I stayed right there with Alex today - we were going back and forth."
Despite his consistent play so far, Elftman-Hanson acknowledged "there's still a lot more golf to go."
"It's going to be tough. I have to stay right by him tomorrow again, but he's a great player so he's probably going to drop a low number," he said.
Elftman-Hanson started the day with a birdie on the par-5 first hole, and it was back-and-forth from there.
"I was definitely excited, but I needed to calm myself down because there was still 17 holes to go. I was just telling myself to take it one stroke at a time throughout the whole round," he said. "Luckily, I was consistent in a good way. I was making pars, then I'd make birdies when I made a bogey."
Miyamoto said her biggest challenge was to remain mentally strong.
"After last week, thinking about the next four rounds I was pretty nervous. All the pressure just kind of took over me," she said. "Without the support of my coaches and my dad, the anxiety in me wouldn't have gone away. They told me to just believe in myself and trust my swing and to just have fun. And so that's what I did. I tried not to think about the score and just have fun with my teammates," she said.
Looking ahead, Miyamoto hopes to improve her performance from last year's state tournament, when she placed 36th.
"I had fun, it was a good experience, but I didn't do well, so in the back of my mind I'm thinking I want to do well at states this year," she said. "Seeing how my scores are coming out, I'm hoping it can stay like that, so maybe I can perform when I go there."
* Lehia Apana is at lehia@mauinews.com
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MIL INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Friday's Second Round
At Kahili Golf Course
| Girls | |
| Kimberlie Miyamoto, Baldwin | 71-75—146 |
| Marissa Uradomo, Baldwin | 73-78—151 |
| Kalea Heu, Baldwin | 77-78—155 |
| Shannon Abarra, KS Maui | 80-79—159 |
| Kristin Ishikawa, Baldwin | 79-80—159 |
| Lydia Higa, Baldwin | 84-77—161 |
| Nicole Umeno, King Kekaulike | 83-81—164 |
| Bianca Armanini, Baldwin | 85-82—167 |
| Jennifer Horikawa, Baldwin | 93-76—169 |
| Michiko Smith, Lahainaluna | 86-88—174 |
| Taylor Akamine, Maui High | 87-88—175 |
| Kaylee Shimizu, Baldwin | 86-89—175 |
| Kodi Joyo, Kamehameha Maui | 90-90—180 |
| Nicole Nagamine, KS Maui | 101-92—193 |
| Shaina Hipolito, KS Maui | 98-97—195 |
| Erin Kobayashi, Baldwin | 98-99—197 |
| Ayesha Delima, K. Kekaulike | 104-96—200 |
| Lena Knue, Baldwin | 101-105—206 |
| Dayna Yoshimura, Maui High | 102-105—207 |
| Tyler Charbonneau, Baldwin | 108-100—208 |
| S. Sacapanio-Alexander, MH | 131-108—239 |
| B. Pendergast, Lahainaluna | 124-126—250 |
| K. Uaiwa-Brown, Maui High | 139-122—261 |
| Sabrina Armijo, Lahainaluna | 136-132—268 |
| Ennah Cabading, Lahainaluna | 161-127—288 |
| Boys | |
| Ariel Elftman-Hanson, Baldwin | 70-72—142 |
| Alex Chiarella, Seabury Hall | 72-71—143 |
| Kyeton Littel, KS Maui | 76-71—147 |
| Aaron Kunitomo, KS Maui | 73-75—148 |
| Jameson Keiley, Baldwin | 75-78—153 |
| Zachary Taylor, Maui High | 76-78—154 |
| Geoffrey Guillot, Baldwin | 77-77—154 |
| Lucas Park, Kamehameha Maui | 72-84—156 |
| Tyler Munetake, Baldwin | 76-80—156 |
| Malu Rosenthal, Lahainaluna | 81-76—157 |
| Drake Onaga, King Kekaulike | 78-81—159 |
| Devin Vea, Maui High | 85-74—159 |
| Tyler Armijo, Lahainaluna | 79-82—161 |
| Steffan Yuen, King Kekaulike | 82-82—164 |
| Jordan Hinau, Baldwin | 79-86—165 |
| Lucas Bell, Lahainaluna | 80-86—166 |
| Jacob Pu‘u, KS Maui | 83-85—168 |
| Justin Ohta, Baldwin | 81-89—170 |
| Rhett Wiseman, Lahainaluna | 85-85—170 |
| Brandon Molina, Baldwin | 86-84—170 |
| Matt Vanni, Baldwin | 79-96—175 |
| Keanu Chang, Baldwin | 88-89—177 |
| Jake Horton, Lahainaluna | 90-87—177 |
| Dawud Moragne, Seabury Hall | 87-93—180 |
| Lance Ito, Lahainaluna | 89-95—184 |
| Kamuela Borge, KS Maui | 93-91—184 |
| Thomas Hamrick, Baldwin | 87-98—185 |
| Johnathan Bach, Baldwin | 94-93—187 |
| Mitchel Dutro, King Kekaulike | 94-95—189 |
| Reyn Stisher, Seabury Hall | 88-103—191 |
| Kerek Franz, Lahainaluna | 88-106—194 |
| Ikaika Vierra, Baldwin | 97-108—205 |
| Chase Baker, Maui High | 102-110—212 |
| A.J. Ramelb, King Kekaulike | 117-110—217 |
| Ian Bingham, Maui High | 106-115—221 |
