Nishiura, Leong in rematch for Manoa Cup women’s title

After waiting 107 years for a shot at winning their own Manoa Cup, Mari Nishiura and Aiko Leong are playing like they never want another woman to have a chance at the state match-play championship.

This morning’s women’s final of the 109th Manoa Cup will be a sequel to last year’s at Oahu Country Club. Ideally, it will come without the downpours.

Nishiura won the inaugural women’s Cup last year, 2 and 1, over Leong. The friends, who just finished freshman years at Nevada and Brigham Young, have known each other more than half their lives.

They met in Casey Nakama’s kids’ program, which is where 14-year-old Karissa Kilby plays now. Nishiura outlasted Kilby, the youngest and tallest semifinalist, 2 and 1, Thursday.

Leong won, 1 up, over Izzy Leung, who will take her marine biology major home to Hong Kong next month after one of the most successful Rainbow Wahine golf careers in history.

The matches could hardly have been closer, or more different.

Nishiura had three birdies in her last five holes and played the hilly OCC layout — soaked by an overnight storm — in 3 under par from the white tees.

Kilby, transferring from St. Andrew’s Priory to Punahou for her freshman year, wasn’t far behind. She was usually ahead after her tee shot.

She trailed after bogeys on the first two holes, with Nishiura one-putting the first four greens for par and a confidence boost.

Then Kilby began to zero in. She hit it close on Nos. 5 and 6, missing her first real chance at birdie but draining her second to cut her deficit to one. It stayed there through six straight pars for both players, and matching birdies at the 13th.

“I was nervous for myself because she is such a great player,” Nishiura said. “I knew she’d just keep pressing, making birdies and pars.”

Kilby tied it on the next par-5 (15th) and Nishiura, who hadn’t even played as far as 15 in her first two matches, suddenly turned on Terminator mode.

The Mililani grad poured in a 20-foot birdie putt from above the 16th hole — “I definitely hit it very firmly, a very firm putt” — then closed the match with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th.

“Honestly, walking down the 17th, I thought about winning it on this hole last year,” Nishiura said. “But it’s a new year. I’m a different player after a year of college. Mentally I’m a lot tougher and stronger. I don’t really get mad about shots, I laugh it off a little. I’ve matured a little, but not too much.”

Leong, a Punahou alum, reached the semifinal with a pair of 6-and-4 wins, then had to go the distance with Leung in a match where no one ever had momentum. Both hit ridiculously good shots and surprisingly bad ones. Leong bogeyed the first three, but was 1 up after 10 holes.

Her short game let her down on the 11th and the match was tied. Leong, an OCC member, missed the next green but hit her third shot 10 feet above the hole and watched it roll straight down — and in, to cover Leung’s 5-foot birdie putt.

“We both didn’t play well for the most part,” Leong acknowledged. “I know we both weren’t happy with how we played. But we did have some good shots, like on 12.”

Like Nishiura, Leung drained a 20-foot birdie putt on the 16th to go 1 up, but Leong nursed in a 4-foot par putt to win the next hole and dropped her approach shot right over the flag on the 18th.

Leung’s approach went in the bunker. Her third shot rolled over the edge of the hole and she missed the 5-footer coming back, giving Leong another shot at Nishiura.

“I was hoping that it would be us for the last day,” Leong said. “I wanted a rematch and also she’s my really good friend, so it will be fun.”

Click here for Thurday’s Manoa Cup scores.