'EWA BEACH — Don't look now but — while The Invasion of Hawai'i High School Golfers is still playing at U.S. Open courses on the East Coast — the next generation is here.

Lorens Chan, 12, is leading the charge. The Iolani seventh-grader, who is closing on 5 feet 3, 100 pounds, blitzed Hawai'i Prince Golf Club in consecutive rounds to defend his 11-12 title at the King Auto Group Hawai'i State Junior Championships yesterday.

Chan fired consecutive 6-under-par 66s from the forward tees (5,205 yards) of the B and C courses. Yesterday's all but flawless followup to Monday's seven-birdie/eagle barrage featured six birdies and no bogeys.

Chan won by seven over Makawao's Alex Chiarella (67—139). Honolulu's Tyler Ota (74—142) and Lahaina's Aaron Kunitomo (73—143) also broke par.

Chan's score was four better than last year, but his margin of victory five less. That is Exhibit A in the case for the next generation's pursuit of Tadd Fujikawa and Ayaka Kaneko, who won their age divisions in this tournament last year and qualified for this year's U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open this year — along with former Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association champions Stephanie Kono, Kimberly Kim and Michelle Wie.

Exhibit B is the drive 10-under girls champion Alexandra Kaui hit on her final hole yesterday. Kaui, who hopes to be 4 feet 6 soon, barely weighs 80 pounds and was hitting into a stiff breeze on the 236-yard par-4 at No. 9B. She crushed her drive so far she would have been close to driving the green, if the ball hadn't veered right into water.

That predicament led to a dreaded "other" — quadruple-bogey 8 — and cut Kaui's winning margin to just one over Eimi Koga (73—151). Kaui, a 10-year-old Kanoelani sixth-grader, fired a final-round 77. Par on the final hole would have matched her opening-round 73.

Skye Inakoshi did par the last hole to defend his boys' 10-under title with a 5-under 139 total. Inakoshi sank seven birdie putts — and threw in a 30-footer for par — in a final-round 69. He beat Donny Hopoi (72—140) by one. Justin Kurihara (71—142) and P.J. Samiere (74—142) tied for third.

Inakoshi, who will be 11 next month, likes to play 36 holes a day. He figures he has gone five months without a golf-free day, which is just the way he likes it. Inakoshi has been "golfing" since he picked up his father's putter at 11 months old.

The 10-under boys and girls played from temporary tees of 4,405 yards.

Marissa Chow, who will be a seventh-grader at Hawai'i Baptist in the fall, won the 11-12 girls title by 20 shots with rounds of 71-74. Like Chan, she trains at Kevin Ralbovsky's KMR School of Golf with Fujikawa and Kono. Chow credits a tip last week from Fujikawa's mother with curing her putting problems.

Not surprisingly, those two KMR colleagues are her favorite Hawai'i golfers to watch, for their tenacity and talent. She is not alone. Chan appreciates Kono and Fujikawa's consistency and confidence. Kaui is awed at how they come back from bad holes.

Inakoshi is working on cloning Fujikawa's rise to U.S. Open participant: "I think it's a miracle that he made it to the U.S. Open," Inakoshi said.

All four of yesterday's champions qualified for the Junior Optimist and Junior Worlds last week. Chan won the boys 11-12 age group at last year's Optimist Junior national championship.

The older kids (ages 13 to 18) play their State Championship Monday and Tuesday at Club at Hokuli'a on the Big Island.

Many of yesterday's participants will play in the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship qualifier today at Turtle Bay. The World Championship is July 26 to 29 at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.