Sean Maekawa has been driven from the serenity of Honoka'a into Hawai'i's suddenly glaring junior golf spotlight by a series of choices with roots that date back 50 years, and great talent.

He comes into the 42nd annual David S. Ishii Foundation/HHSAA State Boys Golf Championship, which starts tomorrow at Waikoloa Kings', as the probable favorite and self-described veteran.

The soft-spoken musician who plays five instruments just became the first to capture four BIIF golf titles. Last year, Maekawa was second to Kaimuki's Chan Kim at the state championship, closing with a bogey-free 68 that left him a shot ahead of Moanalua's Tadd Fujikawa.

Kim and Fujikawa won't be at Waikoloa. The Kaimuki junior moved to Arizona after winning the State Amateur in March. The Moanalua sophomore's commitments, after becoming the youngest to make a PGA Tour cut in 50 years at February's Sony Open in Hawai'i, kept him out of states.

That leaves Maekawa and a pack of mostly young, unfamiliar challengers that "definitely have me feeling old."

Sean's grandfather, Choken Maekawa, was an NCAA boxing champion at Michigan State who qualified for the 1956 Olympics. He passed away when Sean was 8, but left a proud legacy his grandson longed to follow.

A year later, Sean gave up his other sports to dedicate himself to golf. He told his parents, "I want to become one of the best in the world."

"That's the big goal, the PGA tour," said Maekawa, who also has had his eye on an NCAA title since he was young. "That's what pushes me. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. ... I remember having to give up all my other games to play in golf tournaments. It was rough, but it was worth it."

Now he golfs every day, pounding balls on the range to improve his ball-striking, chipping and putting for hours to discover the secrets to the short game. After school he calls the Big Island courses from his home in Pa'auilo to see which are windy or rainy, adjusting his practice site after receiving the weather report.

His father and Honoka'a coach Ross Birch, from Mauna Lani, are his mentors. Honoka'a's nine-hole Hamakua Country Club is his place for peaceful practice when the winds blow below. Waikoloa Kings' is Maekawa's "home course."

"That course is two different stories — when it's windy and when it's not," says Maekawa, who watched the girls get blown all over Kings' last week. "When it's windy, you keep the ball as low as you can ... just keep it in play and under the wind. When it's not windy, you can take it pretty deep."

Maekawa's golf resume goes deep. It includes wins at last year's Makalei Amateur, where he shot 32 on the front nine, and HSJGA events.

He was in contention at this year's Hawai'i Pearl Open before finishing as second low amateur behind Fujikawa, also the overall champion. Maekawa earned low amateur honors at last year's Hawai'i State Open, the 2005 Kona Open and 2004 Waikoloa Open.

But his most cherished golf accomplishments might be the the career-low 64 he shot to open the BIIF season at Waikoloa Village, his four BIIF titles — achieving a goal he set as a freshman — and his signature on a letter of intent to play for Casey Martin and the University of Oregon in the fall.

"I'm really excited to play against the best in the country," Maekawa said. "The Pac-10 is one of the strongest conferences in the country.

"And Casey is a great guy. He's genuine, I can tell you that. I've heard stories from people about how when some coaches recruit you they are all nice, and when you get there they are a whole different person. Not Casey. He knows a lot about the game. He can relate to the players because he was a player himself. That's what I like."

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.