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Thursday, June 8, 2000

Fukumoto,
Kop advance

Loui and Shibuya also make
it into today's Manoa
Cup quarterfinals

By Bill Kwon
Star-Bulletin

Kendall Fukumoto hopes his Manoa Cup quarterfinal match against Brandan Kop today doesn't turn out like last year.

They met in the final eight a year ago with Kop posting a 2 and 1 victory.

Kop, who's trying to win his third Manoa Cup championship in four years, advanced yesterday by beating Gary Kong, 4 and 2, at the Oahu Country Club. Both Kop and Kong are OCC members.

Fukumoto, who just completed his final year on the University of Hawaii golf team, eliminated Michael Ukauka, 6 and 5.

They were even after the first four holes before Fukumoto won the next five -- four with birdies -- to go 5-up at the turn.

After his first two matches, it was a relative breather for Fukumoto. He had advanced by beating 1996 champion Damien Victorino, 2 and 1, and Jonathan Ota, 1-up on the 20th hole despite Ota's five-birdie round.

"He's (Fukumoto) playing good. It should be a tough match," said Kop, who never trailed in his match against Kong.

Paul Loui and Randy Shibuya will meet in the other upper-bracket quarterfinal match.

Loui ousted Ron Haranda, 4 and 3, while Shibuya ended 66-year-old Art Fujita's golden oldie comeback with a 4 and 2 victory.

Haranda, who pulled the week's shocker by eliminating defending champion Shane Hoshino in the second round, was closed out despite birdieing the par-5 15th.

"I just got off to a bad start," said Haranda, who bogeyed three of his first four holes to give Loui a 4-up advantage.

"That pretty much decided it. We traded birdies after that," said Loui, a former Hawaii resident now living in the Bay Area.

Norman-Ganin Asao, who'll be a UH junior this fall, beat Scott Kunimura, 3 and 1, and will take on Adam Dornbush, a 3 and 1 winner over Chris Souza in one of the four lower-bracket matches yesterday.

Meanwhile, it'll be the first-ever quarterfinal appearance for both Shannon Sibayan and Marc Rosen after their third-round triumphs yesterday.

Sibayan defeated Fred Hanamoto, 3 and 1, while Rosen beat Shigeru Matsui, 5 and 4.

The winners will advance to tomorrow's 36-hole semifinals.