Kop in a corner

While the Turtle Bay Amateur celebrates its 10th anniversary this weekend, a golf soap opera involving the 40th Gov. John A. Burns Challenge Cup in November will play out on the Palmer and Fazio courses. It stars Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer Brandan Kop who, at age 51, needs a top-two finish to qualify for his 33rd consecutive Cup team.

"I’ve got to finish tied for second with just one person or better," says Kop, who owns Kop Distributors and knows his way around numbers. "I’m in bad shape."

He was fourth at Turtle Bay last year, when Kalena Preus beat Lorens Chan for the championship with a birdie on the first playoff hole. Preus, a Punahou senior headed to Texas, will defend. The field also includes Jared Sawada, Rudy Cabalar Jr., Tyler Ota, Skye Inakoshi and Todd Rego, who are all ahead of Kop on the Governor’s Cup points list.

That list is critical for a few reasons for Hawaii’s finest amateurs. The top 12 qualify for Governor’s Cup, an annual Ryder Cup-style battle against 12 of the state’s top pros. Amateurs who play the Governor’s Cup are also eligible to play off for the lone amateur slot in the Sony Open in Hawaii, which Tadd Fujikawa made famous and has been copied by other PGA Tour events.

Kop has earned it four times and would dearly miss the Cup and a shot at Sony if Turtle Bay is a mulligan.

"The goal every year is to make Governor’s Cup and, of course, the Sony qualifier," says Kop, who has been suffering from shoulder problems recently. "It means so much. The Sony Open, I really want to thank them for the spot. That’s a big deal and what makes the Governor’s Cup so big.

"To get to play a PGA event is good for the game. In Hawaii, that’s the best motivation. I want to thank Sony and Friends of Hawaii because it means a lot. I want to thank the guys who put the Cup together, too. It’s fun for us and the pros."

It has been more fun for amateurs the past few years. The pros still lead the series, 23-14 (1983 was a tie), but amateurs have taken the last five, dominating singles the last two years.

Kop stands 20th on the amateur team list going into Turtle Bay. He has 295 points for top-15 finishes in point-earning tournaments.

His standing is not as bad as it sounds. A recent NCAA ruling, which came down after the University of Hawaii was penalized for allowing players to participate in a "team event," makes college players ineligible for the Cup — and gives Kop one last gasp. It has never been this tough before for the four-time Manoa Cup champ.

"That’s what age does for you," Kop says. "You can’t do anything about it. As long as I’m trying my best and don’t give up, I’ll be OK. Or I’ll set a new goal — make it next year."