Alex Ching, Kurt Nino, Ryan Perez, Kellen-Floyd Asao and Brandan Kop will try to add their names to the Manoa Cup trophy again when the 101st version of the Hawai'i State Amateur Championship opens Monday at Oahu Country Club.

Ching, the 2008 state high school champion who just finished his freshman year at San Diego, beat 2006 champion Jonathan Ota in last year's final. Nino was the 2007 champion, while Perez won in 2004 and Asao in 2003. Kop, a member of the Hawai'i Golf Hall of Fame, won four times between 1983 and '98.

All five will be back this year. They will be joined by challengers such as UH freshman TJ Kua, and Lorens Chan and David Fink, who just led 'Iolani to the state high school title. Chan, a freshman, and Fink, a senior, finished 1-2.

Ching and Chan will play together in Monday's qualifying round, with Zachary Akagi-Bustin. Fink and Nino are also playing together, along with Joey Sakaue. Qualifying begins at 6:45 a.m. off the first and 10th tees. The top 63 advance to the first round along with Ching, who is seeded first.

Play begins at 7 a.m. the rest of the week, with quarterfinals and semifinals scheduled for next Friday and the 36-hole championship next Saturday.

The Manoa Cup, officially the state's amateur match-play championship, began in 1907. The format was changed to match play in 1926 and it was moved to Oahu Country Club permanently in 1944. Players are required to walk every hole at OCC, which has a 400-foot rise in elevation and is often blessed by more than a Manoa Mist. A winner will play some 144 holes over six days.

Kop is one of three golfers — George Angus and Charles Makaiwa are the others — to have won it four times. Francis H. I'i Brown holds the record, winning it nine times between 1920 and '34. Ken Miyaoka won it six times from 1961 to '75. Travis Toyama, who turned pro this year, remains the tournament's youngest champion. He won the first of two Manoa Cups in 2002, at age 15.

BRIEFS

JUNIOR GOLF QUALIFYING:

Hawai'i qualifying for the Callaway Junior World Championships is today and tomorrow at Kaua'i Lagoons. Last year, Honolulu's Alina Ching won the 13-14 girls division and Allisen Corpuz was second in the 9-10 division. Corpuz just finished second at the Jennie K. Invitational, Hawai'i's first women's major of the year.

Qualifying is in five flights for boys and five for girls, beginning with 7-8 and ending with 15-17. There are 23 boys' slots available and 20 for the girls. More than 150 juniors are playing. Junior Worlds will be July 13 to 17 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in California.

GUIDE TO HAWAI'I GOLF:

Bryan Fryklund, author of The Golf Fanatic's Guide to Hawai'i, will have a book signing at Barnes and Noble in Kahala Mall, 1 p.m. Saturday. In conjunction with the signing, Fryklund is donating $500 to Hawai'i Literacy.

Fryklund started golfing at age 10 and has golfed here since 1995, and lived on Maui and the Big Island. He details his Top 50 Hawai'i courses accessible to the public and calls his book a "comprehensive guide for golfers visiting Hawai'i." It has his course ratings for difficulty, beauty, design intrigue, maintenance, price and "swank value." There are playing tips from course pros, such as Kirk Nelson's advice not to "hit the ball where you can't see it land" at Makena North.

Ratings also cover the "19th Puka" restaurants and there are course statistics, driving directions and hotel options. Along with "key hole" descriptions there is a mention of the hole "you're most likely to choke on."

The 272-page book gets a thumbs-up from Tadd Fujikawa on the back and features a foreword by Ernie Els, who designed 'Ewa's Hoakalei Country Club — the first new course on O'ahu in more than 10 years.

Els describes himself as a "golf fanatic and a big fan of Hawai'i." He concludes his page by saying he hopes golfers will be able to play his course, "but that's one of the great things about Hawai'i, there are so many courses to enjoy that Golf Fanatics are literally spoilt for choice. Hey, that's the kind of dilemma we'd all like to have."

FRIENDS OF HAWAI'I PRESIDENT:

Friends of Hawaii Charities, charity sponsor of the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawai'i, elected First Hawaiian Bank executive vice-president Corbett Kalama its new president. New directors are Thomas B. Fargo, Alton Kuioka, Masao Morita and Raymond Ono.

Former president Anthony Guerrero, instrumental in convincing the tour to include Hawai'i after United Airlines ended its sponsorship, and helped secure Sony Corporation as title sponsor, stepped down May 31.

Kalama, a director since 2000, has served as secretary. He has overseen the organization's Grants Review Committee, which evaluates requests and makes recommendations for an annual charity distribution of approximately $1 million.

"I am honored to be selected to lead Friends of Hawai'i Charities during this pivotal time," Kalama said. "With the support of a strong Board of Directors and The Friends Club membership I am confident that we will continue to provide vital assistance to Hawai'i's most vulnerable during these challenging economic times."

Kalama also serves as a Trustee for Kamehameha Schools.