KAILUA-KONA — Some of the top youth golfers from across the globe gathered Wednesday at Makani Golf Club for the 76th U.S. Junior Amateur and the 75th U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur qualifiers, but one local boy made headlines over the rest of the field.
Kealakehe High School junior Xander Broderson won the boys field by shooting an even 72, earning the top qualifier spot. He beat Australia’s Cody Brenner by one stroke, who was the other qualifying player.
Broderson is no stranger to the big stage, as the Waverider placed ninth in the individual BIIF championships in April while also golfing in the state tournament on Oahu.
Brenner (73) earned the second qualifying spot after beating Korea’s Mingi Kim (73) during the first playoff hole. Kim and Aiea’s Bryce Toledo-Lee (74), who earned third and fourth place in the field, were named the two alternates for the U.S. Junior Am.
Waiakea High School’s Jake and Noah Otani, two of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation’s (BIIF) top golfers in the 2024 season, also competed at Makani. Jake Otani tied for eighth with a 75 (+3), while Noah Otani shot a 78 (+6) to tie for 16th. Hilo’s Leo Saito additionally tied for 16th.
Broderson’s high school teammates Noah Izawa-Okazaki (77) and Ulukoanui Kailiwai (84) earned 12th and 31st overall, respectively. Katsuhiro Yamashita, another Kona resident, carded an 81 (+9) to tie for 23rd place. Hawaii Preparatory Academy star Matty Inaba, who additionally made noise in BIIF play this season, tied for 34th with an 86 (+14).
Yuka Nishina of Japan took first in the girls competition with an impressive score of 68 (-4) — beating second-place finisher Chanel Dangela of Korea by four strokes. While Nishina and Dangela were the two girls qualifiers, Honolulu’s Jasmine Wong (74) and Teal Matsueda (74) were named alternates after earning third and fourth, respectively.
Kona resident Khloe Nakagawa was West Hawaii’s lone finisher in the field, carding an 81 (+9) — good enough to tie for 13th overall.
The U.S. Junior Am will take place July 22-24 at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. The U.S. Girls’ Junior Am will be held July 15-20 at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif.
To read the full results from Wednesday’s competition, please see page 3B.