What is the opposite of deja vu?

Kurt Nino found out yesterday, burying a brilliant 30-foot birdie putt on the 29th hole to win the 99th Manoa Cup over Edward "E.J." Stenftenagel. The score was 8 and 7.

It came in stark contrast to 2003, when Kellen-Floyd Asao finished off Nino on the same hole, from the same radically breaking line across the 11th green. Asao's 8-and-7 victory over Nino left an indelible impression that was never truly exorcised until this week.

"That putt was the same putt Kellen ended me with," said Nino, who slammed his fist as it rolled in. "Back pin, same exact putt. I just thought to myself, 'If I make this putt it will be the opposite of 2003.' "

For five days Stenftenagel and Nino, who will both be college juniors this fall, plowed through opponents. Their games were nearly flawless and their putting all but perfect on Oahu Country Club's treacherous greens.

Nino kicked it up a notch yesterday and Stenftenagel, who lives in California and had played OCC just once before this week, finally could not cope. Nino birdied the fourth hole from 3 feet, the fifth from 2 inches and the sixth from 10 feet to surge into a 3-up advantage at about 8 a.m.

He kept pouring it on, through sometimes driving rain. His approach shots were practically all pin-high and over the course of some 130 holes since Monday — on some of the strangest, most demanding greens in the state — he three-putted just twice.

Nino shot 3-under 32 on the front nine yesterday and won Nos. 8, 9, 10 and 11 to go 7-up.

"I had always said my favorite part of this course was the greens," Stenftenagel said. "But today they were, by far, my nemesis. I couldn't stand the greens at all today. He made birdies on 4, 5 and 6 to go 3-up and then I three-putted three of the next four or something, pretty much gave him those holes.

"I was very disappointed at the way I played today. My game was probably at a 'C' level."

Meanwhile, Nino's golf GPA was somewhere north of 4.0.

Stenftenagel birdied the next two par-5s (13 and 15) to cut his deficit, but Nino nullified the rally by winning Nos. 16 and 18.

"It was my first bogey-free round," Nino said. "Weird. I just 'career-ed' it. I played that well all week. Today was just the best day. I knew nothing was going to stop me. I was just in the zone. ... No mystery about that. In the zone you make everything."

The 2004 state high school champion from Damien shot 4-under 67 in the morning and was 6-under for the biggest golfing day of his life. He won the 24th hole (No. 6) with a birdie bordering on overkill after Stenftenagel hit OB, then went 9-up with par on the next.

Stenftenagel, who figured he needed seven or eight birdies in the afternoon to have a chance, refused to wilt. "Even though I looked agitated," he said, "I was never going to give up."

He holed out a bunker shot to win the 26th (No. 8) and grinned for the first time in five hours of chasing a golfer in the zone.

"I was just astonished, very happy," Stenftenagel said of his wet and wild bunker shot. "I thought, 'Here we go.' "

Nino's lone bogey of the extremely wet, supposedly pressure-filled day helped Stenftenagel cut his deficit to seven on the next hole.

Both players nearly drove the 28th hole of the match (257-yard par-4 10th) and birdied. Stenftenagel's tee shot on the next hole (par-3 11th) came up short, but he pitched to 3 feet to give himself hope. Nino immediately squelched it from across the green with his twisting birdie putt that zeroed in on the hole as if destiny was in a rush.

"He just played phenomenal," Stenftenagel said.

Nino admitted after Friday's semifinal he was "getting hungrier and hungrier" to win the prestigious state amateur match-play title. It was his fifth try. He reached the semifinals in his first, at age 14, fell to Asao a year later, hurt his wrist the year after that and reached the semifinals again two years ago.

Each player he lost to went on to win, which gave Nino an encouraging peek at his potential. But the wrist problem wouldn't go away and last year he had surgery for a hernia. Father Amor, who caddied for him at all five Manoa Cups, tried to encourage his son, but Kurt was getting discouraged.

Turned out father knew best. For that, he was pitched in the OCC pool with his son yesterday in the traditional champion's dunking.

"It's such a good feeling to win this tournament because it's been a while since I even got close to winning," Nino said. "That (hernia) injury last year, I thought my career could be over because I'm injury prone. But I kept practicing, got on it, worked hard, went to rehab. I actually got longer after my surgery, gained some distance."

Part of his rehab was running three miles a day, which became a blessing. Nino said he never tired of walking OCC's lethal slopes despite playing eight rounds since Monday. Winning, and finding that elusive zone, helped.

"This is the one tournament I really wanted to win," Nino said. "To win this championship is like winning The Masters to me. When I came so close before and I just couldn't get it ... but I finally won it and hopefully I can move on, try and win again next year."

Nino received a $750 gift certificate, the traditional Manoa Cup blazer and a framed OCC flag. Stenftenagel received a $350 certificate and the flag.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.