In a golf world gone youth mad, Blaine Kimura scored one for the "old" guys yesterday at the Oahu Country Club Men's Invitational.

Kimura, vice president of a computer consulting firm and all of 35, outlasted a bunch of Rainbow Warriors, an "old" Trojan and Kevin Shimomura's closing rush to win the 42nd annual event. Kimura shot 6-over-par 77 in much wind and mud.

His three-day total of 220 was a shot better than Kellen-Floyd Asao (74). Del-Marc Fujita (72) and Travis Toyama (75) were another shot back.

Ryan Perez (78), Jarett Hamamoto (73) and Shimomura (69) tied for fifth at 223. Shimomura had the day's best round, despite taking double bogey on the last hole.

Asao just finished his golf eligibility at the University of Hawai'i. Toyama, Perez and Hamamoto — a two-time state high school champion who transferred from Air Force to Manoa — just finished their first year.

Fujita, 39, is a Kaua'i boy but Southern California graduate. His high finish, and Kimura's triumph, were not a surprise.

While the last four Manoa Cups have been won by 'Bows (Perez, Asao and Toyama twice) at OCC, the Invitational has mostly avoided the onslaught of champions who aren't able to vote — or, in some cases, drive.

JONATHAN OTA WON LAST YEAR

at age 43. The year before, 58-year-old Mervin Matsumoto was the only man left standing under par.

As Asao closed on the back nine yesterday, Kimura shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm just trying to fend off these young boys."

He accomplished that and a wire-to-wire win thanks to Thursday's 68 and a game that values safe over spectacular. On OCC's slick layout, made slicker by three days of drive-by drenchings, safe is good.

"He didn't make any big mistakes," Asao said. "Only bogeys and pars. It was our job to try and catch up."

Kimura's 77 was probably the worst he could have shot yesterday. He lipped out birdie putts on four of the first six holes and, admittedly, started "pushing and pushing, because the first day I didn't miss a putt inside 20 feet."

Still, he never came close to taking a big number, and was surprisingly serene for a guy chasing the first win of his 10-year golf career.

"I didn't feel any pressure to win or not," said Kimura, who lost a playoff at the 2002 Rainbow Open. "I didn't really care about what anybody else was shooting."

In contrast, Asao started the final day four back and knew precisely what he needed all afternoon. He also knew he had no room for error.

Three bogeys in a row on the back nine — one caused when his ball rolled under the trunk of a tree — and a three-putt for par on the second hole prevented what would have been a memorable comeback.

"I thought about that three-putt the whole day," Asao said. "That's what the difference was."

Still, he gave himself a chance. Down four with four holes left, Asao birdied the 15th and parred in while Kimura bogeyed two of the last four. Asao barely missed a 35-foot birdie putt on the 18th that would have forced a playoff.

"I rarely see amateurs win wire-to-wire in Hawai'i, so I knew it was just a matter of time before I started falling apart," Kimura said. "I'm glad I shot 68 the first day."

CHUN FINISHES 14TH, KIM 16TH IN ROLEX

Hawai'i's Mari Chun tied for 14th and 13-year-old Kimberly Kim finished 16th yesterday at the rain-shortened Rolex Tournament of Champions. The American Junior Golf Association major was played at Long Cove Club, on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Bad weather delayed the morning tee times three hours and the tournament committee shortened the final round to nine holes. The girls' division played the front nine.

Chun, 17, shot 3-over 39 for a 63-hole final total of 257. She finished 10 shots behind champion Esther Choe, who played the final nine in 4-under 32.

Kim finished with 41—258.

The 165-player field featured 67 Rolex Junior All-Americans and boys and girls from 28 states and six foreign countries.