Damien's Nino ousts Kop from Manoa Cup

Advertiser Staff

Two teenagers, an injured Vulcan and a former champion make up the final foursome for the 94th Manoa Cup.

Today's 36-hole semifinals will feature 14-year-old Kurt Nino taking on 15-year-old Travis Toyama, and 1996 champion Damien Victorino playing Hee Beom Kim, who missed the last three months of his sophomore season at University of Hawai'i-Hilo because of a wrist injury.

Semifinals begin at 7 this morning at O'ahu Country Club. The final is tomorrow.

Yesterday Kim, from Saipan, defeated Troy Higashiyama, 4 and 3, to earn the right to play Victorino. He parred the first extra hole to hold off Wade Nakamura, who hit his tee shot into the trees.

Nino, Damien's MVP as a freshman, provided yesterday's biggest upset. He blasted past four-time champion Brandan Kop, 6 and 5. Kop was 4-down after nine holes.

"I started off by hitting it 2 1/2 feet from the first hole," Kop said. "He lipped out a 20-footer and I missed my putt. From there, it was downhill."

Nino birdied Nos. 3, 5 and 6 to go 5-up and never let Kop begin a rally. Kop knew it was over when his drive on the 10th hole hit a tree and rolled 100 yards down the cart path — back toward the tee.

"I'm surprised I'd never heard of this guy," said Kop, 41. "He's about 105 pounds and he hits far. He hit everything square and went straight for the pin. You'd expect him to make a couple bad shots in that situation, but he never did."

Toyama, who will be a junior at University High in the fall, got by Del-Marc Fujita, 3 and 2. Fujita, who ousted Michelle Wie earlier in the week, was 4-down after six holes. He won Nos. 9, 10 and 11, to cut his deficit to one, but missed a five-footer to lose the next hole and couldn't close again.