Rego captures Army golf title
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
WAHIAWA — Todd Rego's stress-free swing lifted him to a bogey-free final round and the championship of the U.S. Army Invitational yesterday at Leilehua Golf Course.
Kyle Sackowski • The Honolulu Advertiser
Rego closed with a 3-under-par 69 to finish at 6-under 210. Brandan Kop (75-214), who won here in 1999, finished second for the second straight year. Kellen-Floyd Asao (74-215) had two spectacular birdies on the back nine, but bogeyed the last three holes to take third.
Todd Rego tees off at the ninth hole in the final round of the U.S. Army Invitational at Leilehua Golf Course.
Defending champion Clayton Gomi (72-216) was two back after 11 holes, but double-bogeyed the 12th and finished tied for fourth with Nick Mason (73).
The way Rego was playing, they were not going to catch him. The 2000 St. Louis graduate one-putted 11 greens, snatching par from the jaws of bogey eight times. His three birdie putts were within six feet, including an exclamation point on a final hole he nearly eagled from the fairway.
His first birdie, on No. 3, put him in a tie with Kop and Asao for the lead. His second, at No. 8, gave him an advantage he would never relinquish.
Rego characterized his 10-footer for par on the next hole, and an 11-foot par putt on No. 16, as the keys to his round. The last one put him two ahead of Asao and Kop. An easy par on the next hole and an even easier birdie on the last helped him run away.
Kyle Sackowski • The Honolulu Advertiser
"He made a lot of good par-saving putts," Kop said. "You're waiting for a guy to miss one or two. The pressure changes. But he kept sinking them. He deserves to win."
Brandan Kop inspects his ball at the ninth hole at Leilehua Golf Course. Kop was hoping to catch leader Todd Rego, but finished second, four strokes back. "He played well, deserved to win," Kop said.
He never had before. Rego is a sophomore at UNLV — where he does not play on the golf team — and until this week his strategy going into a tournament had been simply to make the cut.
That changed when he entered the final day two shots behind Kop. Rego's surprisingly lofty position left him surprisingly serene. So serene he found himself trying to calm his dad — one of four father/caddies in the final group.
"I didn't think about anything," Rego said. "I was struggling to make putts the first two days, but the putts were falling today.
"I played good all day. It was a good feeling. There was no nervousness at all."
The final group consisted of Iolani sophomore Casey Kobashigawa — who was in the chase until bogeying four of the last five — along with Rego, Asao, a University of Hawai'i freshman, and Kop.
Kyle Sackowski • The Honolulu Advertiser
Kop, a golf distributor, felt every bit of his 40 years on the first tee when he realized his opponents, all O'ahu Junior Golf Association products, were half his age. When his 9-iron approach shot on the first hole flew 20 yards left of the green, he felt even older. After he mis-read four of the final five greens, he was ready for the senior tour.
UH freshman Kellen-Floyd Asao finishes in third place.
"Getting old," he said with a grin. "I can't see already."
His problems actually began Friday when he was 5-under after 15 holes, and bogeyed the last three. Yesterday, his most compelling concern was his iron play.
"I was fighting the irons the whole day," Kop admitted. "I hit only seven greens (in regulation). Once you start missing them you start thinking.
"I was in there the whole way, until the 14th. I was just trying to stay close, and hopefully he'd bogey. But he never bogeyed coming in. He played well, deserved to win."
Kyle Sackowski • The Honolulu Advertiser
Rego was just thankful Kop's vaunted short game never reared its scary head.
Iolani sophomore Casey Kobashigawa faltered down the stretch.
"A friend of mine played with Brandan yesterday and he was saying his driver goes good, but his irons just go straight to the pin," Rego recalled. "When I saw him missing pins today I was like, it's time to take advantage of this."
These days, Rego only golfs when he's on break from school. He wasn't offered a scholarship out of high school and UNLV's program is so entrenched he can't even walk on. But after yesterday, he is mulling his options.
"After winning this tournament," Rego said, "it makes me want to play a lot more. It makes me change my mind about trying to get into a college to play golf already."
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SHORT PUTTS: Randy Shibuya and Brandan Kop returned from a tournament in Japan just before the Army Invitational. Shibuya finished tied for second in Tokyo, and Kop was ninth. ... Todd Rego won a $500 gift certificate in the amateur tournament.
