Amateurs on a roll in Governor’s Cup

Until six years ago, the Aloha Section PGA pros used to thump the Hawaii amateurs on a fairly annual basis in the Gov. John A. Burns Challenge Cup.

Made sense. Pros were at the golf course all day and the section had a series of tournaments for them throughout the year. The player of the year got a spot in the Sony Open in Hawaii.

But 2007 was apparently the dawning of the age of the amateur. They won the Ryder Cup-style team competition by three points that year, by a point the next year and two points the year after that. The last three years, the amateurs’ average winning margin has been eight points.

Still makes sense. With the notable exceptions of Matt Ma, Jonathan Ota, Todd Rego and Brandan Kop — who are, apparently, ageless — amateurs are in school. When they aren’t, they are on the golf course, often working with some of Hawaii’s best instructors.

Pros are still on the course, but rarely have their golf clubs. Club pros’ 40-hour weeks often stretch into 60, and days off are usually designated for life and laundry, not going back to the office to play a round.

"I didn’t believe everybody when they said if you turn pro and work in a club you get to practice whenever you want," said TJ Kua, who has played on the Cup’s amateur and pro teams. "I find working at Pearl you don’t practice much. I played five or six times a week when I was in school. Now it’s one or two, and maybe I’ll get on the range an hour after work."

The pro team won’t be announced until after next week’s Aloha Section PGA Stroke Play Championship, one of the Cup qualifying events. But so far, Kua, Shawn McCauley, Garrett Okamura, Regan Lee and Dean Wilson — a "governor’s pick" from Jim Burns — have committed.

Even when the top 12 are finalized, co-captain Wade Nishimoto knows it will be tough for everybody to show up. It is a large expense for neighbor island pros. Even Oahu pros take a hit for a missed work day, at an event where there is no prize money or appearance fee. Burns is trying to help by asking for tax deductible contributions to the Aloha Section PGA Foundation.

The financial side is not a problem for amateurs. All 12 live on Oahu and don’t play for money — yet. They also have a huge incentive to show up, beyond pride.

The pros’ Sony Open exemption now goes to next week’s winner at Mauna Kea. The amateurs qualify for their Cup team as well, also by finishing in the top 15 of designated events. But they actually have to play in the Cup to get into a qualifier for the lone, immensely valuable, Sony Open amateur slot. Few turn down that opportunity.

John Oda, who qualified for Sony in 2012, and Donny Hopoi are still in high school. They are grizzled, successful Governor’s Cup veterans on this year’s team, which will try to stretch its streak to seven Nov. 18-19 at Mid-Pacific Country Club.

Their teammates are Manoa Cup champs Jared Sawada and Ma, Rego, former Rainbow Cory Oride, Tyler Ota and junior golfers Kyle Suppa, Kyosuke Hara, Shawn Lu, PJ Samiere and Brent Grant.

All know this might be their best shot at ever getting into a PGA Tour event. For them, playing in the Governor’s Cup is all gain and no pain — and an honor.

"You get to play a nice course, with nice greens. You kinda know how you stack up against the team and gain some confidence if you win some matches," Sawada said.

Then he grins. "Or lose some if you don’t, right?"

That has happened less and less the last six years, but the Cup always makes for compelling theater, and there will come a day — maybe Nov. 19 — when the pros will get theirs again.

"I don’t want to take anything away from the matches," said Nishimoto, who has worked with the HSJGA. "I enjoy watching 14- to 16-year-olds go out there and shoot 66. The amateurs will always show up for the Sony spot and getting off school and work for them is a lot easier than it is for golf pros. And, they always want to beat a golf pro, too."