Lee ousted defending champion Mike Pavao, 2 up, in the quarterfinal round of the Manoa Cup yesterday at the Oahu Country Club to advance to today's 36-hole semifinals against Stan Souza.
Last year Pavao defeated Lee, his fellow University of Hawaii golf teammate, 1 up, to win the State Amateur Match Play Championship.
"I caught Mike on an off day," said Lee, who closed out the match on the 18th hole with a par after Pavao won the 17th with a birdie to stay alive.
Pavao, the reigning Western Athletic Conference individual champion, was down two after hitting his drive out-of-bounds on the par-5 15th.
"That probably was Mike's problem. He never played the last four holes until today," said Lee. Pavao had breezed to three straight 5-and-4 victories before yesterday.
Souza also advanced with a 3-and-2 victory over Michael Lam.
In the lower bracket, Damien Victorino beat Reynold Lee, Regan's brother and the 1994 Manoa Cup champion, 1 up, on the 19th hole when the latter three-putted for a bogey.
Victorino will meet Glenn Tanoue today in the other semifinal match. Tanoue advanced with a 1-up victory over Phil Anamizu on the 20th hole, the par-5 second.
Tanoue got on in two while Anamizu went over the green on his third shot. Anamizu conceded Tanoue's five-foot birdie putt after missing his par putt.
Today's winners advance to the 36-hole final Sunday, starting at 7:30 a.m. at the par-71 OCC course.
The open event is one of nine scheduled throughout the season with players required to participate in at least five tournaments to be eligible for the finals.
Both events start at 9:15 a.m. with the finals at 4 p.m.
The entry fee is $10 per player. Players wishing to participate in either tournament should call Paul McCurdy at 833-8839.
Over 300 boys and girls, ages 9 to 14, are registered for the event.
The top competitors from each event will be submitted for consideration for selection to the Pacific Southwest Regional Team which competes at the nationals Aug. 10 in Hershey, Pa.
The family event features shooting sports equipment, club displays, refreshments and a chance to try your hand or just observe the many shooting sports.
For a small fee that varies with the cost of ammunition, interested persons can try various firearms. Eye and hearing protection is mandatory (available for purchase or bring your own).
The "Palama Sports-O-Rama" will showcase what's current in sports at the settlement from 1 to 5 p.m. at the gymnasium, field and swimming pool. Past and present coaches, players and sports medicine physicians will be on hand to offer the youth an opportunity to talk about skills and techniques, keeping healthy and learning positive life skills.
Four sports will be highlighted: football, basketball, swimming and volleyball. Young athletes, alumni and coaches may participate in each activity.
Outstanding athletes who grew up at the settlement and found the road to success through sports will be on hand to share their expertise, including professional surfer Ben Aipa, swimming coach Harry Mamizuka and basketball player Don Snyder, now Maui High School's athletic director.
The public is welcome. For registration and information, call 845-2428 or 845-3945.
The entry fee is $100 per person. The format is a two-man scramble and the tournament begins with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.
The Damien Memorial High School scholarship and financial aid programs benefit from the event.
For further information, call 841-0195 or 841-0196.