Last weekend, University of Hawai'i sophomore-to-be men's golfer T.J. Kua captured the 101st Manoa Cup, the most prestigious and oldest amateur golf tournament in the state of Hawai'i. Kua defeated fellow Kauai native Layne Morita, 1-up, after a grueling 36-hole final.

 

Kua, who just completed his freshman season with the Warriors, joins a long list of UH golfers to win the tournament, including his caddie, two-time winner Travis Toyama. After his victory, Kua sat down to answer a few questions from HawaiiAthletics.com.

 

TJ: Thank you. I was surprised that I did pull through and get the win. It was a very long week physically and mentally. I put in a lot of work preparing for last week and I wasn't too sure how it would hold up on the big stage. I am very pleased with my mental game, it was by far my strongest weapon last week. I did make mental errors on certain shots out there but as far as keeping myself positive and keeping my mind on the task at hand I believe I did a good job. The physical aspects weren't all there but it was enough to get the job done thankfully. It would've been really tough on me to go all that way and have my game let me down.

 

Winning is always the goal for any competitor. However, in the Manoa Cup format you have to win 6 times and not lose once before being called the champion. I think after each round a player would have to reassess and address new goals for the opponent he is playing under the circumstances.

 

This is the most prestigious event I have won. I never really won anything major besides last year's Mid Pacific Open in which I won the Championship flight. The Manoa Cup is the state's amateur match play championship. The tournament has a long history and, in my mind, is the one tournament you want to win as an amateur. A lot great names have been engraved on the Cup and its an honor to get my name on there.

 

This was the third time I entered the Manoa Cup. Third time's the charm I guess. Prior to this year I got to the semi-finals. Last year I lost in the semi-finals to Alex Ching. It was a great match and I had a lot of fun playing with him. We are good friends and we go a long way back. I stayed at his house during the Manoa Cup this year and last year. The only other time I played was the summer after my freshman year in high school. I got to the quarterfinals that year.

 

Even though Travis is only a several years older than me he's a veteran in my books. I was really pleased that he accepted my request to be my caddy. The advice he gave me was very basic, nothing fancy. He said hit fairways and hit greens and that's all you have to do. It puts pressure on your opponent to perform out of the norm. Then once we got to the greens his visions were spot on. He was also helped me relax during those pressure situations and made me see that it was no different than any other day on the golf course.

 

It was a great push by Layne. I did think I had a cushion and that's probably where things went wrong. I relaxed and began hitting bad shots thinking nothing could go wrong. I lost three holes in a row and I was never completely comfortable after that. The nerves started to kick in and bad thoughts started to creep into my head. Travis and I talked and we said look we're still up in the match now let's win it and not wait for him to lose it. Travis constantly told me you want it, go get it.

 

After Layne missed his putt and knowing that I had 2 feet between me and putting my name on that cup was a relief that came with a lot of nerves. I was in complete control of the outcome, it solely depended on me either missing or making the putt. I was shaking the whole time playing the last hole. When it finally got to that putt Travis told me, you've made that putt a million times in your life, right now is no different. Just step up and hit it in the center. He couldn't have said it any clearer.

 

A lot of great players came out of Kauai. There's a bunch of names. There is a lot of talent on Kauai mostly due to Wailua Golf Course. Every great golfer that came out of Kauai spent a lot of time at that course. It's a tough track and Kauai's best teachers used to give lessons there. Toyo Shirai, Mitchell Ota, and Chica Ishii were the "fathers" of golf on Kauai from what I know. They all played a role in grooming Kauai's great players.

 

To be honest, I'm not that satisfied with my performance this past year. I didn't play great in any tournament this past year. I never broke into the top 10. Placed a couple times in the top 15 but that's it. I've got a few compliments from local pros saying it was a good freshman year but my goal wasn't to play well for a freshman. However, I did learn a lot. The experience will help me in the coming years to better myself as well as the team.

 

Winning in Japan would have to be my highlight. Nothing feels better than getting a win. To pull through the way we did in the final round was a great way to finish. We were tied for the lead going into the final round but created a 14 stroke margin by the tournament's end.

 

I am very pleased with our team for next season. Having a lot of local boys will help the team chemistry and we'll be able to push each other to a next level. Most of us are good friends so there will be no shame in what we have to say to each other. Next season I would really like to place in the top 20 every tournament, along with some top finishes. I think that will be huge in helping out the team.

 

TJ stands for Thomas James. I was named after my dad's uncle, that's where the Thomas came from. The James is a middle name that my father and grandfather have. Ever since I can remember my family and relatives have called me TJ. All my friends call me TJ. Everybody basically knows me as TJ. Only teachers call me Thomas.