By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Brandan Kop tries to coax this putt into the 15th hole.
When it fails to fall into the cup, he gets that sinking feeling.

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Kop’s third Manoa Cup
title a close call

By Bill Kwon
Star-Bulletin

You never know in golf.

You'd think that Brandan Kop leading, 5-up, with 10 holes to play, would be money in the bank.

But it's a good thing Kop didn't cash in his chips early. He struggled to a double-bogey, bogey finish to hold off Stan Souza, 1-up, in the final of the historic Manoa Cup yesterday at the Oahu Country Club.

It was Kop's third victory in the event more formally known as the Hawaii State Amateur Match Play Championship.

Now 36, the two-time All-WAC golfer from the University of Hawaii won the Manoa Cup in 1983 and again in 1986.

This one didn't come any easier despite Kop twice going 5-up on Souza during their 36-hole match. He needed a 3-putt by Souza on the par-4 finishing hole to make it a trifecta.

For Souza, it was the second time that he finished as runner-up in the Manoa Cup, the oldest contested trophy in any sport locally. The event began in 1907.

Souza, who was entering his senior year at BYU, had lost to David Ishii, 1 up, in the 1977 finals that featured two of the state's best collegians at the time. Ishii starred for the University of Houston.

"It was right here on this same green. I also 3-putted then," said Souza, now 42, while recalling the days of his youth.

Yesterday's undoubtedly hurt a lot more because a two-putt would have forced a playoff.

Souza was sitting 18 feet above the hole in two, while Kop was on in three and away.

Kop had hooked his drive into the base of a tree trunk on the final hole and needed to take a drop. He punched out 25 feet below the pin but missed his par attempt.

Needing only to two-putt to square the match, Souza sent his his birdie try three feet past and then lipped the comebacker. Kop then tapped in for the halve and victory.

"That's all I was trying to do. Two-putt," said Souza. "I knew it was quick. I just hit it too solid."

It nullified a stirring comeback but Souza wasn't aware that he was five down.

"In match play, I try not to play the opponent. Just the golf course."

For awhile, especially on the final nine holes, the golf course was beating both Souza and Kop.

Kop three-putted from 30 feet on the 32nd hole (the downhill 14th) to see his once insurmountable lead cut to one.

"That's what you get for trying to protect the lead, trying to tie the holes instead of trying to win them," Kop said. "But I really wasn't worried. I was playing pretty good and I knew I could get a birdie or two."

That came two holes later on the 34th hole (the par-3 16th) when he rolled in a 25-footer for a big deuce that put him 2-up. But a double-bogey 6 at the next hole after two errant pitches again cut Kop's lead to one, setting up the final-hole scenario.

"We made it interesting," said Kop, who's now 3-for-3 in Manoa Cup victories once reaching the semifinals.

Despite their problems at the end, Kop and Souza each birdied five holes in the afternoon, and combined for 17 for the day.

Both finalists made it a family affair. Caddying for Kop was his father, Danny, and toting the bag and trudging the hilly OCC course, all 36 holes yesterday and 32 in Friday's semifinals, for Souza was his 13-year-old daughter, Andrea.