'EWA BEACH—There was a time, pre-Michelle Wie and before the Tadd Fujikawa fist pump became famous, when Hawai'i junior golfers would let their imaginations run wild. They could pretend a practice putt was for the U.S. Open championship and their playing partners were famous, and far taller.

Then David Ishii and Dean Wilson began to beat up on the competition in Japan and their success translated to the PGA Tour. Wie began bashing barriers and Fujikawa soared at the Sony Open in Hawai'i.

Suddenly everything is possible and there is no need to pretend. No one knows it better than the 60 juniors who played in yesterday's King Auto Group Hawai'i State Junior Championship for golfers 12 and under.

The Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association is no longer an isolated little footnote in the golf world. The HSWGA trains its players in everything from etiquette to the art of giving victory speeches. Philip Delisi aspires to be the next Lorens Chan, who is following in Fujikawa's footsteps. Mariel Galdiano is on the same golf career path as Allisen Corpuz, whose swing is just as spectacular as Stephanie Kono's.

Delisi won his second state title in three years yesterday at Hawai'i Prince. The 12-year-old has had his share of success at open events — he was the B Flight champion at Barbers Point and the Pearl President's Cup last year and was kicked up to A Flight at this year's Hickam Invitational after opening with 76-74.

The Kapolei Middle School seventh-grader shot 75-74 at Prince, on a 6,175-yard layout. The 11-12 girls played the course at 5,205 yards with the other age groups playing it at 4,450. Delisi won by six shots and Galdiano by twice as many, after firing a final round of 2-under 70 for a 145 total in the Girls 11-12 division.

Galdiano turns 11 in two weeks and will start sixth grade at St. Elizabeth. Her focus now is on her swing and coach Tommy Hines has her stretching daily for flexibility. The goal is to kick her drives up to 250 yards.

Pono Yanagi (85-79) came in from Hilo, where he is coached by Kevin Hayashi, to win the 7-8 Boys by a dozen shots.

Millburn Ho, at 3 feet 9 inches and "40-something" pounds, was too small to get on a few of the rides at Disneyland a few weeks ago, but stood tall this week to win the 7-8 Girls with rounds of 101-91. She attributed her career-low final round to keeping her focus on the greens, which she simplified by writing "Stay Cool, Focus on Putting, Love Mom and Dad" on her arm.

Mari Nishiura won Girls 9-10 by eight shots with consecutive rounds of 76, playing the back nine in even par both days with the help of a few birdies. "I like having birdies," the Mililani Uka sixth-grader said, "because it makes up for bogeys."

It was the boys in Nishiura's age bracket who truly took it low. Kyosuke Hara had eight birdies and an eagle in his opening-round 64, and still needed a playoff to outlast Hilo's Shon Katahira, who shot 67 both days to tie Hara at 10-under 134. Katahira had eight birdies each day.

Hara birdied — what else? — the first playoff hole (B1) to win. He traces his recent improvement — the 64 is his career best by five shots — to an attitude adjustment.

"I kinda changed my attitude," said Hara, 10, who starts at Kaimuki Middle School in the fall. "Sometimes (before) if I would struggle I would get mad. Now if I struggle I try to think about the next thing.

"My dad kinda saw that (temper) and didn't like it so I fixed it."

Most of the juniors played in last week's Junior World qualifier and will be at Turtle Bay tomorrow and Friday for the Optimist and Adams junior qualifiers. Corpuz, who won the 10-under title with Delisi two years ago, is the reigning Optimist national champion. Last month she nearly won the Jennie K. Invitational, the first of Hawai'i's three women's majors.

The state championship for older players is July 6 and 7 at The Club at Hokuli'a on the Big Island.