It came down to the last hole in the quarterfinals for Dalen Yamauchi, who needed a birdie on Friday to continue his quest at the 108th Manoa Cup. ADVERTISING It came down to the last hole in the quarterfinals for
It came down to the last hole in the quarterfinals for Dalen Yamauchi, who needed a birdie on Friday to continue his quest at the 108th Manoa Cup.
Instead, Justin Taparra birdied the par-4 18th hole while Yamauchi parred and saw his run at the amateur match-play championship end at Oahu Country Club.
Despite his 1-up victory, Taparra, a Chaminade senior-to-be golfer, had little time to celebrate and took a lopsided 5-and-3 loss to Brent Grant in the semifinals.
Grant, an Oregon State golfer and Moanalua graduate, will battle Maui’s Justin Ngan, a Baldwin senior-to-be, for the championship.
Yamauchi, a former UH-Hilo golfer and Waiakea graduate, was shooting to become the first Big Island product to win the Manoa Cup since 2014.
That year, Nainoa Calip, a former UH-Manoa golfer and Kamehameha graduate, won the title.
The last Vul golfer to capture the Manoa Cup was Shane Hoshino, a Mililani grad, in 1999.
Other Big Island golfers were:
• Hilo’s Kailey Oki, tied for fifth, 13-over 85, girls 10-12
• Hilo’s Lacey Uchida, T6, 82, girls 13-14
• Hilo’s Shon Katahira, T20, 79, boys 16-18
