HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's golf team was well-represented at the 115th Manoa Cup, as UH golfer
Josh Hayashida beat teammate
Anson Cabello in dramatic fashion in Saturday's final at O'ahu Country Club.
"It's kinda cool playing against a teammate. We both know each other's game so well," Hayashida said. "We both play here all the time, so there's no clear advantage over each other. Last year I knew I had a slight advantage over Kihei (Akina) because he hadn't played here that much, and you really need to know how to play here (O'ahu Country Club). It's a cool feeling knowing someone from UH was going to win. In the end, UH wins."
The last time the open division featured an all-UH final was 1995 when Mike Pavao defeated Regan Lee.
"To have two UH players battle it out for the championship on this amazing field is something really special," Cabello added. "It really speaks to (UH men's golf head coach) Scott (Simpson) and how he's built this program and it also speaks to our players and how we're able to fight through adversity, fight through a lot of stuff and make it this far."
Hayashida won despite only leading twice in the 36-hole match-play final. After going 1-up in the sixth hole, Cabello took the lead back from Hayashida on the eighth hole and didn't relinquish it until the final playoff hole.
Cabello won the 32nd hole to go 4-up with four holes left to play, and Hayashida began his furious comeback. Hayashida won the next four holes to tie it up for the first time since the 17th hole. Hayashida would go on to win on the second playoff hole and 38th overall.
"After I missed that putt it was tough to get it going again," Hayashida said about his comeback. "I knew if I lost a hole when I was two down it was going to be tough. I lost another one, and I told myself I have to stay in it. Anything can happen. (Anson's) playing good, and you know, it's golf."
By taking down Cabello, Hayashida successfully defended his title from last year's Manoa Cup. In the 2023 rendition of the tournament, Hayashida similarly went on a late run to capture the title. Hayashida's 2023 victory was the first for a UH golfer since 2009, when T.J. Kua won the 101st Manoa Cup.
"It's a testament to Scott," Hayashida said about the Rainbow Warriors' recent success in the Manoa Cup. "For a couple years there weren't many people that were playing well in this tournament. It's a real testament to Scott, how he turned this program around."
Three Rainbow Warrior golfers reached the quarterfinal round in last year's Manoa Cup. This year, UH improved on that number by sending five golfers to the quarterfinals. Alongside Hayashida and Cabello were
Isaiah Kanno,
Kolbe Irei and
Tyler Ogawa. Former 'Bow
Zachary Sagayaga also made the final eight.
"They've worked really hard. They're really good kids," Simpson said. "They're willing to put in the work. We compete a lot. We have a lot of tough qualifying and it just gets them better prepared for handling competition. And gosh they did so great this week. We had five UH players out of the final eight. It's something to be proud of. We're gonna keep working at it and try to get better and better."
Additionally,
Dane Watanabe and
James Whitworth advanced to the Round of 16, while
Garrett Takeuchi reached the Round of 64.
"It helps a lot," Simpson said about the UH presence in the Manoa Cup. "Part of what I like to do, and we have done, is keep top players at home.
Josh Hayashida is from here and decided to stay home and play for UH, and Anson is from Maui. Our guys know they are representing both UH and the state of Hawai'i. They take that seriously. It's something to be proud of, and they really embrace that."
In addition to Hayashida, recent Rainbow Warriors who claimed the Mānoa Cup title included Nainoa Calip, who won in 2014, although a couple months after the completion of his UH career, and Jared Sawada, who took the 2013 title, a year after completing his UH career. Travis Toyama (2005), Ryan Perez (2004), and Kellen-Floyd Asao (2003) also hoisted the trophy. Perez won the title before entering his freshman season at UH while Toyama captured the 2002 title at the age of 15.
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