Friday, June 8, 2001
In semis, Manoa Cup Now comes the hard part.
is about golf
The final 4 have cast aside
the storylines and will settle
the title with 72 holesBy Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinAfter surviving the initial three rounds of the 93rd annual Manoa Cup, the one golfer who emerges from this unusual final foursome will have to survive a 72-hole endurance test before being crowned champion tomorrow evening.
Early in the week, the media circus descended on 11-year-old Michelle Wie. After her first-round loss on Tuesday, the eye of the camera focused on the possible final match between the Asao brothers. But Kauai's Jonathan Ota proved unaccommodating during yesterday's quarterfinals.
The old man of the semifinal round at 39, Ota rolled in a pressure-packed 20-footer for birdie on 18 to force an extra hole with University of Hawaii golfer Norman-Ganin Asao. There, from 12 feet, Ota rolled in his seventh birdie of the morning to win his match.
He faces Maui's Ryan Koshi, who got hot on the back nine to knock out Joe Phengsavath, 4 and 3. The other side of today's 36-hole bracket was filled by Kamehameha Schools' Christopher Caycayon, who beat Paul Kimura (1-up) with a birdie on the 18th hole.
The 15-year-old faces Kellen-Floyd Asao. The Hawaii Baptist Academy standout edged Eric Fong (1-up) by sinking a four-footer for par on the 18th. Fong hit his second shot into a bunker on the right side of the green, before blasting out to within six feet.
He putted first, just missing on the right side. His knees flinched the moment after impact, giving Asao all the room he would need to make it to his first semifinal of the Manoa Cup. None of the four has ever won this event at the hilly Oahu Country Club. In the end, stamina and focus will be the keys to victory.
"It becomes a test of endurance, really," UH graduate Ota said. "My age will be a factor against these young kids. They can go all day. For me, walking up and down these hills is tough."
Asao wasn't one to argue. Despite being the second-youngest in the field, the first thing he did after each round was go to sleep. Lights out. No questions asked.
"As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was gone," Asao said. "The mental pressure is there. The walking, too. It can really be exhausting. You just have to prepare yourself mentally for it."
The younger, but taller Asao waited green side for his brother to arrive on the scene. He and Ota were tied entering the par-4 18th. The former Kauai High golfer hit first from the fairway, sticking his ball about 20 feet below the hole.
Norman-Ganin Asao wasn't as fortunate. His high approach got caught in the wind, leaving his ball just short of the green.
"I knew he was going to get that shot in close," Ota correctly predicted. Asao's third shot was inside the leather for par. "That meant I had to sink it to force an extra hole. I hit that shot right in the heart of the cup."
It didn't take any of the heart from Asao, who congratulated his playing partner with a handshake. While Ota knocked his second shot on the 19th hole in close, Asao wound up 20 feet hole high. He missed his birdie attempt. Ota did not.
He faces Koshi, who had little drama in his win over Phengsavath. Despite being even at the turn, Koshi was able to close out Phengsavath at the par-5 15th. The Maui man believes the key to winning here is keeping it in the fairway and below the hole.
"You don't want to be above the hole on any of these greens," Koshi said. He attended one year of college at Hilo and another at Manoa, before deciding to enter the real world. "This is the best I've done here. I've played Joe many times before. He's hot right now."
Caycayon hopes to keep his clubs close to the fire as well. If he controls his shots today, the 10th-grader may be the one to beat come tomorrow.
"I played well today," Caycayon said. "The course is not that long, but you have to keep it in the fairway or you get in trouble. I'm excited about being in the semifinals. A lot of these guys I've never played with before. I've heard of them, so it makes it fun."