'AIEA — Toru Nakajima came out of wind and rain and Waseda University to win the 2006 Hawai'i State Amateur Stroke Play Championship by five shots yesterday at Pearl Country Club.

Brandan Kop, who won the Western Athletic Conference Championship three years before the 21-year-old Nakajima was born, was one back going into the final round. When it was over, just before dark and after eluding rain for most of three days, they were the only golfers under par.

"I was trying to get within two strokes," Kop said. "Two strokes, that's one bad swing. But I couldn't get within two strokes. He's too solid and I missed too many putts. You have to sink some of those dog-luck ones."

Nakajima finished at 6-under 209. Thursday's first round was washed out and par was cut to 71 Friday because of wet conditions. The final two rounds were played at Pearl's regular par-72.

None of that fazed Nakajima, who was second to Matt Kodama in his first appearance at this tournament last year. He just kept hitting fairways and greens and leaving long-distance putts on the lip with the long putter he sticks in his chest. He left nothing to chance and cruised in for his first victory ever. The college junior has never even won in Japan, his best collegiate finish being third.

He admitted to nervousness on the front nine, but apparently blasted that out of his system when he holed a bunker shot on the seventh hole. Nakajima rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt on the next hole and made the turn in 2-under. He never put himself in danger on the back, where his only bogey came at the 12th. He covered that with a 30-footer for birdie on the next hole.

Kop covered that with a 25-footer of his own, but it was too little way too late. With Nakajima doing his imitation of a ball-striking machine, Kop could only keep pace and, eventually, play for second in a tournament he last won 10 years ago. His first stroke play title came in 1980, while he was playing for the University of Hawai'i.

"Four strokes (back) I was still trying to catch up," Kop said. "But at the end I was trying to birdie to make sure I would get second place. That's why I was grinding so much on 17 and 18. Coming to 17, he's got a five-stroke lead and he took out an iron (on the tee). ... It was a smart play. The only way he could lose at that point was to hit it out of bounds two times or something like that."

Nakajima barely missed a fairway, let alone flirt with OB. He closed with a 70. Tadd Fujikawa, 15, and Jonathan Ota, 44, were the only other golfers to break par yesterday. Both shot 71.

Kop finished at 74-214. Fujikawa, who birdied three of the first four on the back, was third, another shot back. Kaua'i's Kellen Watabu, 17, took fourth.

They were followed by Marshall Uchida (74-219) and Ota. Kop, Fujikawa and Ota also finished in the Top 10 last year.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.