Ota edges Oride at Barbers Point

Proving he remains ready for golf’s prime time in the prime of his life, Jonathan Ota outlasted Cory Oride on Saturday to win the Barbers Point Invitational.

Ota, now eligible for the senior tour at 50, fired a 1-under-par 71 into gusty winds and treacherous pin placements to win by two shots, with a 210 total. No one else broke par in the final round.

Oride, a University of Hawaii senior, seized the lead when he shot a scorching 66 in Friday’s second round. Ota, two back to start the last round, caught up with one swing, eagling the third hole from 107 yards out.

"That was the difference-maker, I would say," said Oride, who finished at 75—212. "Then we were even until the last two holes. It was fun out there, a tough match."

It became match play for two guys who grew up playing Wailua Muni on Kauai — 30 years apart. Ota runs his family’s Tip Top Café. Oride and sister Kelli, a sophomore at Notre Dame, combined to win four KIF championships.

Ota and Oride played in the final group with 2010 champ Alika Bell. Early on they could sense no one was coming after them.

"I could feel we were distancing ourselves from the others," said Ota, who fired a 67 Friday. "Alika wasn’t playing as well as he normally does and Matt (Ma) and the guys behind weren’t under par, so I knew it would come down to me and Cory. The first guy to make a mistake was going to lose."

Both had a couple of bogeys and a birdie on the front, and were tied at 6 under from Nos. 9 to 16. Then Oride blinked.

He pulled his drive on the 17th into the left rough behind two trees. He did well to punch the ball to the front of the green, but three-putted from 60 feet. Ota’s 12th par put him one up.

"He was putting beautifully all day, making everything," Ota said of Oride. "Which he always does. But when he three-putted and I tapped mine in I knew that was a big swing because it always comes down to the last couple holes."

On the final hole, Ota pushed his drive into the right rough, behind a large pine tree. He nicked the tree with his approach, then lofted his third straight at the flag. The ball landed on the green, a few feet from the hole, and spun backwards down the slope.

Ota was again in the center of the fairway — "He hit the fairway when it mattered," Oride shrugged — and hit his approach at the center of the green. The wind grabbed it and shoved it back just short of the bunker.

Ota would not get up and down, but wouldn’t need to with Oride going for broke trying to catch up.

"When his second shot hit the tree," Oda said, "I just played conservative and went for bogey."

He grinned.

"I was fortunate to hold on," Ota said, "in my old age."

Oride’s game has come a long way since Kauai High. His stroke average improved 4½ shots last season and he was named second-team All-WAC, leading the Rainbows in two events.

"I’m just happy I’m moving forward with my game, making improvement," he said. "I guess today just wasn’t my day. Jonathan just played steady all day."