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There will be a 75th name etched on the Manoa Cup after both champions fell during the second round on Wednesday.
Kauai’s Chance Wilson beat Joshua Hayashida 1-up and Coel Berardy of Punahou needed 20 holes to take out island golf institution Brandan Kop on Wednesday at Oahu Country Club, ensuring that Saturday’s survivor will be a first-time champion. Hayashida won the tournament in 2023 and ’24 and Kop ruled four times between 1983 and 1998.
“I have definitely had my eyes on this tournament for a long time,” Wilson said. “I always wanted to play it and as I got older I felt I was probably more equipped for it. It’s a pretty incredible tournament to be a part of.”
Wilson, a Chaminade sophomore who scaled the club’s mountains while carrying his own clubs, had a large gallery, including the family dog. He reached the round of 16 for the second time, but it didn’t come easy. He lost the first hole to Hayashida and then won the next five to stake himself to a 4-up lead.
Hayashida started sinking putts and the weary athletes found themselves on the 18th tee with the Rainbow Warrior needing to tie the hole to force a playoff. Hayashida stepped up and blasted a drive 300 yards down the left of the fairway but it went so far that he found himself with a nasty downhill lie 60 yards from the pin. Such a shot usually rolls down for an easy chip, but this one didn’t.
“Honestly, I think I got a tough break on the downslope,” Hayashida said. “It was a tough lie, but I thought I could squeeze it out to the left a lot more and it just kind of squeaked out right a little bit. I kind of know why, but I’m not super sure.”
Wilson expected Hayashida’s heroics and replaced his 2-iron with a driver and hit the toughest shot of his life to the right side of the fairway, 30 yards behind Hayashida but with a flat lie.
“Eighteen was probably one of the highest heart rate tee shots I have hit in my life,” Wilson said. “That hole is kind of a tough tee shot for me with a driver because I hit a big cut so just stepped up there and hit a good one and found myself in a good spot. A couple of seconds from when I hit it to when it came to rest was pretty nerve wracking.”
Wilson stuck his approach to within six feet to the left of the pin. Hayashida dumped his approach into a bunker and overcooked it leaving the trap. Wilson needed just two putts to vanquish his foe. Both players shot 69s, with Wilson carding a 32 on the front and Hayashida recording a 34 on the back.
Shortly after Hayashida accepted his loss, Kop was in the middle of the 16th fairway needing to win only one more hole or tie two to return to the round of 16. His immaculate short game kept him in it, but his putter betrayed him and Berardy won the next two to erase the lead and matched him on 18 to force a playoff.
Kop had elite women’s player Rachel Wang on the bag a day after defending champion Kara Kaneshiro pulled his clubs. He and Berardy both shot 80. The champions’ groups were the only ones to play that lonely hole. Kop kept it going with a putt that circled the first playoff hole before dropping but Berardy vanquished the old soldier with a missile of a 3-wood that left him sprinting up a large hill in an attempt to see it land and run.
With Kop bringing up the rear, Berardy found himself on a lump between the bunker and the green and drained his putt after a chip to within five feet.
“We both had a good game today but I bogeyed the last three holes and when you do that most times you are going to lose,” Kop said. “These guys hit it so far and everything, I am just trying to walk 18 holes, or 20. I’m 65 now, I am lucky I can even play.”
Today’s matchups begin with top seed Spencer Shishido against Jordan Sato at 7 a.m., followed by Wilson vs. Ka’ena Kaulia, Maximus Waki vs. Joey Sakaue, Ryan Takeshita vs. Steven Cable, Drew Tom vs. Sam Rodriguez, Berardy against Punahou teammate Jordan Takai, Derek Chinen vs. Braydn Sato and Taylor George vs. Gunnar Lee.
Mariko Yonemura of Waipahu beat her younger sister, Makena, 2&1 to reach the semifinals of the women’s tournament and will take on Samantha Monroe. Top seed Ava Cepeda will meet Kady Matsumoto in the other semifinal.
As wide open as these tournaments have been the first two days, Kop cautions that this year might be different from any other. He tried to qualify for the event for the first time in 1973 and has been in the match-play portion for the last 30 years, so he knows the layout more than anyone.
“The greens are probably the fastest I have seen it through the first few rounds,” Kop said. “It’s lucky it rained yesterday. Come Friday and Saturday it’s going to be really fast. It gets so fast your nerves come into play a lot more.”
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Kauai’s Chance Wilson beat Joshua Hayashida 1-up and Coel Berardy of Punahou needed 20 holes to take out island golf institution Brandan Kop on Wednesday at Oahu Country Club, ensuring that Saturday’s survivor will be a first-time champion. Hayashida won the tournament in 2023 and ’24 and Kop ruled four times between 1983 and 1998.
“I have definitely had my eyes on this tournament for a long time,” Wilson said. “I always wanted to play it and as I got older I felt I was probably more equipped for it. It’s a pretty incredible tournament to be a part of.”
Wilson, a Chaminade sophomore who scaled the club’s mountains while carrying his own clubs, had a large gallery, including the family dog. He reached the round of 16 for the second time, but it didn’t come easy. He lost the first hole to Hayashida and then won the next five to stake himself to a 4-up lead.
Hayashida started sinking putts and the weary athletes found themselves on the 18th tee with the Rainbow Warrior needing to tie the hole to force a playoff. Hayashida stepped up and blasted a drive 300 yards down the left of the fairway but it went so far that he found himself with a nasty downhill lie 60 yards from the pin. Such a shot usually rolls down for an easy chip, but this one didn’t.
“Honestly, I think I got a tough break on the downslope,” Hayashida said. “It was a tough lie, but I thought I could squeeze it out to the left a lot more and it just kind of squeaked out right a little bit. I kind of know why, but I’m not super sure.”
Wilson expected Hayashida’s heroics and replaced his 2-iron with a driver and hit the toughest shot of his life to the right side of the fairway, 30 yards behind Hayashida but with a flat lie.
“Eighteen was probably one of the highest heart rate tee shots I have hit in my life,” Wilson said. “That hole is kind of a tough tee shot for me with a driver because I hit a big cut so just stepped up there and hit a good one and found myself in a good spot. A couple of seconds from when I hit it to when it came to rest was pretty nerve wracking.”
Wilson stuck his approach to within six feet to the left of the pin. Hayashida dumped his approach into a bunker and overcooked it leaving the trap. Wilson needed just two putts to vanquish his foe. Both players shot 69s, with Wilson carding a 32 on the front and Hayashida recording a 34 on the back.
Shortly after Hayashida accepted his loss, Kop was in the middle of the 16th fairway needing to win only one more hole or tie two to return to the round of 16. His immaculate short game kept him in it, but his putter betrayed him and Berardy won the next two to erase the lead and matched him on 18 to force a playoff.
Kop had elite women’s player Rachel Wang on the bag a day after defending champion Kara Kaneshiro pulled his clubs. He and Berardy both shot 80. The champions’ groups were the only ones to play that lonely hole. Kop kept it going with a putt that circled the first playoff hole before dropping but Berardy vanquished the old soldier with a missile of a 3-wood that left him sprinting up a large hill in an attempt to see it land and run.
With Kop bringing up the rear, Berardy found himself on a lump between the bunker and the green and drained his putt after a chip to within five feet.
“We both had a good game today but I bogeyed the last three holes and when you do that most times you are going to lose,” Kop said. “These guys hit it so far and everything, I am just trying to walk 18 holes, or 20. I’m 65 now, I am lucky I can even play.”
Today’s matchups begin with top seed Spencer Shishido against Jordan Sato at 7 a.m., followed by Wilson vs. Ka’ena Kaulia, Maximus Waki vs. Joey Sakaue, Ryan Takeshita vs. Steven Cable, Drew Tom vs. Sam Rodriguez, Berardy against Punahou teammate Jordan Takai, Derek Chinen vs. Braydn Sato and Taylor George vs. Gunnar Lee.
Mariko Yonemura of Waipahu beat her younger sister, Makena, 2&1 to reach the semifinals of the women’s tournament and will take on Samantha Monroe. Top seed Ava Cepeda will meet Kady Matsumoto in the other semifinal.
As wide open as these tournaments have been the first two days, Kop cautions that this year might be different from any other. He tried to qualify for the event for the first time in 1973 and has been in the match-play portion for the last 30 years, so he knows the layout more than anyone.
“The greens are probably the fastest I have seen it through the first few rounds,” Kop said. “It’s lucky it rained yesterday. Come Friday and Saturday it’s going to be really fast. It gets so fast your nerves come into play a lot more.”
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