Although Nicole Tanoue is making her Manoa Cup debut, the rising ‘Iolani junior had some experience to draw upon on in a semifinal match on Thursday.
Just about everything about this week is brand new for Moanalua’s Ashley Koga.
One of them will close out a five-day run with a plunge into the Oahu Country Club pool today as the youngest women’s champion in the tournament’s history.
Tanoue, 15, rallied from an early deficit to earn a 3-and-2 win over top-seeded Jennifer Koga, Ashley’s older sister, and advance to today’s 7 a.m. final in the Hawaii State Golf Association’s match-play championship.
Koga, 16, was 2 down with two holes to play against Chloe Jang before winning the next two to extend the match. She then joined Tanoue in the title match with a par on No. 1 to reach the final in her first match-play tournament.
Tanoue fell behind early for a second straight day when Jennifer Koga, the Big Sky Conference Player and Freshman of the Year at Sacramento State, won the first two holes of the match. Tanoue surged ahead by winning three straight holes from No. 4 to 6 and didn’t trail again.
They were all square at the turn and Tanoue took the lead with a birdie on No. 10. She went 2 up when her 4-foot birdie putt on No. 12 circled the cup before dropping and went 3 up with a par of No. 14. Jennifer Koga got one back on No. 15, but a three-putt on the par-3 16th and Tanoue’s par ended the match.
“I had to step on the gas earlier today,” Tanoue said. “My friend played her yesterday and lost. She was just making birdies and pars and I had to step on the gas earlier and make some birdies.”
Tanoue recalled facing a college player in a Hawaii State Junior Golf Association match-play tournament last summer, and a 5-and-4 loss provided lessons she applied in her matchup on Thursday.
“It was like deja vu,” Tanoue said. “I would say I was more mentally prepared for this one, because my game improved and I knew if it just putted better and hit some shots in the right places I would be OK.”
Tanoue also relied on experience in the cart with her uncle, 2004 Manoa Cup finalist Shannon Tanoue, caddying for her.
“He helps me mentally keep myself together because match play is definitely a different mindset than regular stroke play,” Nicole Tanoue said.
“I like match play because it doesn’t really matter how badly you do on a hole or how big an error you make, you just move on to the next hole. It’s a like a fresh start.”
This week’s tournament marks Ashley Koga’s first match-play tournament and she’s surprised herself with her march through the 16-player bracket.
“If I want to be completely honest, I didn’t think I would make the qualifier (on Monday) and I didn’t think I would (win) the first match,” Koga said.
After making it through the first two rounds, it appeared her run would end when Jang missed a hole-in-one by inches on the par-3 16th to go 2 up.
Despite the deficit, “I was thinking the reason we’re still playing is because I still have a chance,” Koga said.
Jang’s drive off the 17th tee sailed out of bounds to help Koga send the match to No. 18. Koga tied the match with a par, while Jang struggled out of a green-side bunker. A 2-foot par putt on No. 1 was enough to send Koga to the final, with Jennifer planning to caddie for her today.
“I’m very proud of her,” Jennifer Koga said. “(Tanoue) played very well, she caught me on all my mistakes. It’ll be fun to see them tomorrow.”
In the Open Division, Joshua Hayashida also pulled off a late comeback against 2017 champion Andy Okita to advance to this morning’s quarterfinal round.
Hayashida, an incoming senior at Hawaii Baptist Academy and reigning ILH champion, was 4 down with six holes to play, stayed alive with a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 16 and dropped a 30-footer for eagle on No. 17. Okita’s wayward drive on No. 18 helped Hayashida force extra holes, and after they both parred No. 1. Hayashida reached the green on the par-5 second hole in two and advanced with a two-putt.
“I think my mindset just lightened up,” Hayashida said of the turnaround. “I like coming from behind sometimes. It loosens me up and lets me play how I wanted to play.”
Hayashida will face University of Hawaii senior AJ Teraoka this morning, with the quarterfinal winners returning to play in the semifinals this afternoon. The 36-hole final for the 112th title is set for Saturday.
Hawaii Pacific University’s Keita Okada needed 21 holes to outlast Thayne Costa and will face third-seeded Remington Hirano. Top-seeded Peter Jung and Matthew Ma meet in today’s first quarterfinal match after quick victories on Thursday. The winner will face Marshall Kim or Blaze Akana this afternoon.
112TH MANOA CUP
At Oahu Country Club
Thursday
Open
Round of 16
Peter Jung def. Matt Pakkala, 5 and 4
Matthew Ma def. Adam Quandt, 7 and 5
Marshall Kim def. Kolbe Irei, 3 and 2
Blaze Akana def. Joshua Chung, 2 and 1
AJ Teraoka def. Hunter Hughes, 5 and 4
Joshua Hayashida def. Andy Okita, 20 holes
Remington Hirano def. Adam Chiya, 5 and 3
Keita Okada def. Thayne Costa, 21 holes
Women
Semifinals
Nicole Tanoue def. Jennifer Koga 3 and 2
Ashley Koga def. Chloe Jang, 19 holes
