OAHU — Ava Cepeda defeated Samantha Monroe to win the women's division of the Manoa Cup on June 26, 2026, at the Oahu Country Club. Cepeda secured the victory with a birdie on the 15th hole.

Cepeda, a sophomore at a university in New Mexico and an alumna of Kahuku High School, won the first two holes of the final match. Monroe, a senior at Punahou School, won the third hole after Cepeda's putt lipped out. Cepeda then made a 9-foot putt on the fourth hole and hit a 50-yard shot into the hole for an eagle on the fifth. Monroe won the sixth hole with a birdie. Cepeda won holes 12, 13, and 14 to clinch the match.

Cepeda also previously won the Hawaii state amateur stroke play title. Tyler Ota was the only other player to win both the state amateur stroke play title and the Manoa Cup in the same year, achieving this in 2019. Cepeda is the first medalist to win the Manoa Cup tournament since Raya Nakao in 2022. She shot a 67 during Monday qualifying.

Reflecting on the final, Cepeda said, "Today was fun, with the rain and everything. It was like a battle and it was good to be out there in these conditions." She added, "It's a nice relief to finally get the win." Cepeda mentioned her eagle on the fifth hole, stating, "I figured once I didn't see the ball on the green it was probably in. I saw the pitch mark, too, so yea." Cepeda's father and caddie, Baxter Cepeda, noted the satisfaction of the win given the expectations. "Ava will take a lot of satisfaction out of this. It was a little bit of pressure with some of the people missing, and she was one of the favorites. But you come in with that expectation and you kind of have the best chance to win, to get it done is a satisfaction," Baxter Cepeda said.

Monroe was the 15th seed in the tournament and shot an 80 to make the cut by two strokes. She defeated No. 2 seed Jasmine Wong in match play and eliminated Mariko Yonemura in a playoff in the semifinal, hitting birdies on holes 16 and 17, and an additional birdie on the 20th hole of the semifinal. Monroe's coach served as her caddie during the final. Monroe said she was pleased with her overall performance, despite the loss. "It was a really good tournament — from barely making the cut to making it this far was really nice. I do wish I played a little better today, but I feel like I had really good rounds this week," Monroe said.