After Craig Uyehara's surge, Doug Williams' steadiness and a four-month postponement, it took one of Mamala Bay's most treacherous greens to decide the Hickam Invitational on the next-to-last hole yesterday.

Uyehara slid in a 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th to win by a shot over Williams, whose 12-footer downhill improbably came up a rotation short. Uyehara, a 33-year-old buyer for Coastal Construction, closed with a 3-under-par 68 to finish at 5-under-par 208.

Uyehara scorched the front nine in 4-under 32, eagling the third (444-yard par-5) with a 30-foot putt to jump-start his rally. It was enough to overtake second-round leaders K.C. Botelho, who blitzed Mamala for a 66 Saturday, and Williams, who opened with consecutive 69s.

Botelho struggled to 81 yesterday, but Williams was even par through 13 holes and trailed Uyehara by two. He erased that with one brilliant swing on the 14th, temporarily a 205-yard par-3.

Mamala Bay's 14th tee is under construction so the golf course has been shortened by a shot.

Williams knocked his tee shot to 29 inches of the hole, winning closest-to-the-pin honors and tying for the lead when Uyehara missed a four-foot par putt and Williams converted his birdie.

Both three-putted the next hole for par and bogeyed the 16th.

As the holes ran out, each swing took on more urgency. Williams lost his drive to the right on the 17th, but punched a near-perfect shot from the trees to birdie range. "That," Uyehara said, "was a terrific shot."

Uyehara hit a perfect drive, but pulled his approach left. Then he watched playing partner Chan Kim three-putt as his birdie try picked up momentum and rolled 10 feet below the hole.

Just when Williams, a 48-year-old former golf course developer in Southeast Asia, appeared to have the advantage, Uyehara got his slippery sidehill put to fall into the side of the cup.

Both parred the final hole. Kim, a Kaimuki High junior who won the state high school and Army Invitational titles this year, took third at 70—214.

A year ago, 14-year-old Tadd Fujikawa won here. Now Uyehara has become part of the older guys' resurgence.

"Craig just played superb golf," Williams said. "He hit a lot of spectacular shots close. It wasn't like he was lucky and made a lot of putts. He hit a lot of solid shots close. It was fun to watch, actually."

Uyehara also won an Amatour event this year. Williams, who has homes in Hong Kong, Thailand and Honolulu, has played Manoa Cup and the U.S. Public Links, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifiers this summer here. He lost a playoff for the Mid-Amateur, or would have been in Flagstaff, Ariz., now.

"I'm glad I missed it," he said. "I'd rather play here."

Williams won the Hong Kong Amateur this year to earn a spot in the European Tour's Hong Kong Open in November.

Hickam was originally scheduled for May, but was postponed by rain. It is tentatively scheduled to return next May.

Peter Olson shot a final-round 70 to win the Senior Flight with a 217 total. Wendell Kop captured the Super Seniors (65-older) with 75—227.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.