With birdies on the first two holes, Dalen Yamauchi was the one who looked like a four-time champion playing on familiar turf. After that, the former Waiakea and UH-Hilo golfer was practically home free at the Manoa Cup.
With birdies on the first two holes, Dalen Yamauchi was the one who looked like a four-time champion playing on familiar turf. After that, the former Waiakea and UH-Hilo golfer was practically home free at the Manoa Cup.
Yamauchi punched his first ticket to the round of 16 at the state amateur match play championship Wednesday, putting away former champion Brandon Kop 5 and 4 at Oahu Country Club. Yamauchi has needed only 26 holes to dispose of his two opponents in match play.
“I think the key is I’m not making mistakes, and when I do they are not that bad,” Yamauchi said of his fourth try at the event. “It helps to have momentum when you’re playing such a good player on his course.”
Yamauchi will face Andrew Chin on Thursday morning. Punahou product Chin, who tied for second at the 2015 HHSSA championships, kept UH-Hilo from laying claim to a quarter of the field when he outlasted Nick Matsushima in an ultra-competitive match that went 20 holes.
Matsushima, who along with Yamauchi recently exhausted his eligibility with the Vulcans, staged a furious rally on the back nine to make up a four-shot deficit.
Matsushima tied the match with a birdie on No. 17, but after each made par on consecutive holes, Chin came up with a birdie.
“Andrew made a good putt on the last hole,” Yamauchi said.
Former Vulcans Isaac Jaffurs and Chris Shimomura also will try to reach the quarterfinals Thursday.
Jaffurs ousted Waiakea junior Shon Katahira 4 and 3, firing two eagles on par-5 holes as he tries to repeat his run from a year ago. In 2014, Jaffurs reached the final before falling to Kamehameha-Hawaii graduate Nainoa Calip, who has since turned pro.
Shimomura regained his lead on No. 16 and went on to beat Kyle Suppa 1-up.
Yamauchi hasn’t played past the 14th hole since Monday’s qualifying, when he shot a 71. He thought he might be destined for a longer match Wednesday when Kop birdied the fifth hole to cut his lead to one shot, but Yamauchi made par after par as Kop, who last won the event in 1998, began to stumble.
“I played about average,” Yamauchi said.
Win for Hayashi
Hilo’s Kevin Hayashi and Oahu’s Kevin Carll carded a 6-under 64 on Monday at the Kaanapali Classic Pro Pro on Monday on Maui.
The duo finished at 14-under 127 in the better-ball format. Among the twosomes tied for fourth at 8-under were Calip and UH-Hilo alum Corey Kozuma.