Friday, May 16, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Michelle Wie
It was the talk of the town, the state, the Internet, the golf community around the world. Would Michelle Wie become the first woman to qualify to play in the U.S. Men's Open. It is considered one of the most difficult events to win much less to qualify for. Wie already made history in Hawaii on May 15, 2006 when she became the first woman to win a local qualifier that led to her playing in the sectional qualifier to get into the main event.
Michelle Wie at U.S Open qualifier in New Jersey
If you aren't golf savvy, you've probably just gotten an idea of how complicated this whole game of golf is and how difficult it is to make it to the actual event.
There is the local qualifier, then the sectional qualifier and then the U.S. Open. We still had a local entrant, two in fact, we were rooting for during the U.S. Open, held the week of June 15th.
Tadd Fujikawa and Dean Wilson at the US Open at Winged Foot
Dean Wilson, who is one of 125 men in the world to have earned a PGA Tour card to play at the top of the game of golf, but still not guaranteed a spot in the US Open. But he won the sectional he was playing in. Our other contender is a record breaker. 15 year old Tadd Fujikawa is the youngest golfer to ever tee it up at a U.S. Open. And 15 year old Fujikawa was there because he beat the best of the best in Hawaii during the Hawaii sectional held at the Poipu Golf Course, home of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Fujikawa beat David Havens, Darren Summers, Joe Phengsavath, Philip Chun, Alex Ching, Brian Sasada, Casey Watabu, Ron Castillo Jr. and Eric Horner when he walked into the clubhouse after 36 holes of golf with a score of 141. First alternate was Havens, with a 142 and second alternate Summers with 144.
Tadd Fujikawa at the U.S Open at Winged Foot
Fujikawa is now off to the Rolex Tournament of Champions. Fujikawa also earned an exemption to play the 31st national Westfield Junior PGA Championship, August 10-13, 2006, at Westfield Group Country Club in Westfield Center, Ohio.
Fujikawa was born 3 and a half months premature and given a 50 50 chance of surviving. At the age of 8, Fujikawa won a national Judo competition.
Tadd Fujikawa with his mom at Ko Olina
Today, at 5 foot 1, with an average drive of 285 yards thinks his putting is his strongest suit. Tadd is an exceptional young man. He also teaches us that height does not the golfer make.
Tadd Fujikawa with Kevin Rabolvsky at Ko Olina
The winner of the U.S. Open is the second person to qualify for the most difficult competition in the world in which to gain entry. That would be the PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Poipu at Poipu Bay Golf Course. Only the winners of the four major golf championships are invited: The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and the PGA Championship. The first to qualify this year was Phil Mickleson when he won the Masters. Mickleson holds the record at Poipu Bay Golf Course. He shot a 59 two years ago.
We know Tiger Woods won't make it to Poipu by way of the U.S Open. He missed the cut for the first time in a major golf event.
Tiger Woods returns at U.S. Open. Woods says he plans to go home, practice and hopefully win the British Open this month at Royal Liverpool Golf Course.
Later in June, at the U.S Women's Open, we had four Hawaii teenagers competing. Michelle Wie was given an exemption because of her exceptional play last year. In addition, two young women from Hawaii qualified through the local and sectional qualifying, both here and on the mainland. One of them is 14 year old Kimberly Kim, who qualified winning a mainland sectional and the other is Stephanie Kono who won the sectional at Ko Olina.
Stephanie Kono
Sacred Hearts Academy freshman Ayaka Kaneko played in the LPGA Takefuji Classic in Las Vegas in the spring, after winning a qualifying round earlier this year over two college players. She also tied for the finish of the Jennie K. Invitational but lost in the playoff to Mari Chun at Mid Pacific Country Club.
Okay, so far we have Wie, Fujikawa, Kono, Kaneko, Chun, Kim and Chan Kim in majors, traditionally for adult, competitions. Chan Kim? He's coming up.
Ayaka Kaneko
12 year old Cyd Okino is traveling to Colorado to compete in the U.S. Amateur Women's Public Links tournament in Pueblo. This championship is at the Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo, Colo. A field of 110 golfers will play 18-hole stroke play on both Tuesday and Wednesday, then the field will be sliced in half with the remaining golfers paired for match play for the rest of the tournament.
The tournament is open to female golfers who have been bona fide public course players since Jan. 1 of the current championship year and whose handicap does not exceed 18.4.
Cyd Okino
We have an amazing number of exceptionally talented golfers making us proud in the islands this summer. I could do a column on each of the junior golfers. They are all playing in multiple events this summer. Kono has 7 events on the mainland, including the U.S. Womens' Amateur Public Links Championship in Colorado. Also at the WAPL, Mari Chun, Kimberly Kim and Kelly Nakashima.
17 year old Miki Ueoka of Lihue and 17 year old Sean Maekawa of Paauilo won the 2006 Aloha Section Westfield Junior PGA Championship held at the Honolulu Country Club.
In this competition, the championship is the 31st Westfield Junior PGA Championship in Ohio. Some of the previous champions include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson, Cristie Kerr and Grace Park. The Westfield winner gets an invitation to play in the German Junior Masters, where Stephanie Kono is the defending champions. She won't be able to defend both the national and international title this year because she's playing the U.S. Women's Open and school. She's a Punahou junior this fall.
There is more. Heading to the USGA Amateur Public Links Championship is Bremerton Washington this month, 17 year old Sean Maekawa of Paauilo. He won medalist honors for the second year in a row at the USGA Amateur Public Links sectional qualifier at the Hilo Municipal Course in June. Waikoloa's Henry Park finished second.
The Maui sectional was played at Waiehu. Kevin Shimomura won and Lee Sakugawa got the second spot after a four way playoff and Sakugawa birdied the first playoff hole.
The Oahu sectional was played at the Ala Wai golf course. The winner, another teenager, 16 year old Kaimuki High student Chan Kim.
USGA Amateur Public Links Championship Oahu sectional qualifier Chan Kim
Kim is possibly the next big name to come out of Hawaii in men's golf. He started playing golf just 4 years ago, and at 6'2" 198 pounds, Kim makes for a formidable presence. Kim and Tadd Fujikawa paired up and won the HPLGA Four Ball Championship in February, an adult event. Les Uyehara, who coached Kim until recently, says the young man is "the best male golfer I've ever had. Uyehara also taught LPGA professional Grace Park and Stephanie Kono.
Does Fujikawa at 5'1 use the same configured clubs 6'2" Chan would use? The answer is no. That would seem to be obvious to all of us but it's not. You don't buy a surfboard you can't handle, so why would you pick up clubs not suited to your size?
Did you know you can have a set of clubs custom made for you for about the same price as a set you buy at a golf shop? Custom made to your height, swing and your unique style. Everyone has their own perfect swing but that can only work to your advantage if you have a set of clubs that takes all of that into account. All of the professional players have their own sets. They may say Nike on them or Taylor Made or Callaway but each company makes the clubs fit their player. You can't buy the clubs Michelle Wie or Tiger Woods uses, or Tadd Fujikawa for that matter. The club manufacturers make special clubs for them So how about having someone who'll make special clubs for you!
Tom Wishon, TW Golf Technology
Meet Tom Wishon
GolfWeek magazine: "In years past, only golf industry insiders were exposed to the stark honesty, humor and encyclopedia knowledge of golf equipment designer and clubfitting guru Tom Wishon. Now, every golfer has a chance to learn from Wishon and feed on his honest commentary about golf equipment and how clubs should and can perform. There's no sales speak in Wishon's book, "The Search for the Perfect Golf Club". Wishon's makeup doesn't allow him to color a picture in any way other than realistically".
Okay so you are sold on the book. But did you know that you can walk into a clubfitting shop, and they'll put the grip, shaft and clubhead together using all those pieces designed by Wishon? And you can do it right here in Hawaii.
After designing clubs for major manufacturers for years, Wishon had to strike out on his own. The main reason was his desire to be true to his craft. He wanted people to get clubs were made for them, instead of the "off the rank" "one for all and all for one" clubs.
Here are clubfitters or clubmakers in Hawaii who can use the club components designed by Wishon. Keep in mind, Wishon innovated more than 50 "firsts" in golf clubhead design for three of the biggest names in the golf equipment industry. Wishon has designed more original clubhead models than almost anyone in the 500 year history of golf and is an 11-year senior member of the Golf Digest USA Advisory panel and designed original models for Ben Crenshaw, Scott Verplank, Bruce Lietzke and the last set Payne Stewart played with in competition before his tragic death.
ROY'S GOLF REPAIRS
Contact: ROY
Telephone: (808) 366-0362
HONOLULU, HI 96814
lucia604@msn.com
GARDEN ISLAND GOLF CO
Contact: DANIEL
Telephone: (808) 822-7135
KAPAA, HI
SOUTH MAUI GOLF & REPAIR
Contact: KEITH
Telephone: (808) 879-5705
KIHEI, HI
dmurph3@gte.net
KAMA'AINA CLUBMAKERS MOI certified
Contact: MIKE MOYNAHAN
Telephone: (808) 870-4473
Kula, HI 96790
info@kclubgolf.com
GOLFFIX
Contact: RANDY
Telephone: (808) 822-7886
LIHUE, HI 96766 www.golffix.org
When you contact one of these shops, tell them you want to use Tom Wishon golf club components (www.wishongolf.com).
Wishon was a guest on "The Golf Club" just a couple weeks ago. Here's a link so you can listen to him. We had a lot of fun in the clubhouse and I think you'll enjoy his sense of humor. Click on the listen button at www.radiogolfclub.com and go to the May 20, 2006 show.
Now that you've got your clubs, it's time to set out to find a nice place to play. What a surprise we came across. Stephen Burke is now the general manager for the Moanalua Golf Club.
Danielle Tucker at Moanalua Golf Course, the oldest course west of the Rockies.
Where? Moanalua Golf Club is situated right below the Kaiser Hospital and kind of behind the Moanalua Gardens. It's a wonderful 9 hole course built in 1898 on the Samuel Damon estate. The greens are wonderful. They are seashore paspalum and play true. My husband, and executive producer of "The Golf Club" set out one Sunday to find it, and ended up playing. It was a real treat, to be so close to home and so far away, if you know what I mean.
The Moanalua Golf Club also has openings for new members plus if you can't afford a membership, which is every reasonable at $2000 entry fee plus the $150 monthly fee, the club is open to public play, during the week and weekends, in the afternoon. Visitors to Hawaii are also welcome to play!
Rick Gray, Executive Producer of "The Golf Club" radio show
If you have any questions about Moanalua Golf Club call Stephen Burke at 839-2311.
There is also something very special available in Hawaii now for the disabled golfers. It's a special cart that you can use without getting out of the cart, and it's greens friendly. I know this "Solo Rider" is available at the Princeville Resort on Kauai and there is no extra charge. It's the same price as a regular golf cart.
Solorider at Princeville
I've heard so much about carts used on the mainland by people who are no longer able to get around on their own and it's wonderful to know that they are slowly making their way across the ocean. Thank you to Princeville!
Congratulations to Norman Ganin Asao of Honolulu who walked away with his first professional win of his career at the Kuma Contracting Kona Open. Asao's birdie on the final hole him a one stroke victory over Ivan Cunningham, Jarett Yamamoto, David Havens, Regan Lee and Matt Pakkala. First round leader Kevin Hayashi shot a final round 77 for a tie for 7th with Chris Keiter.
Norman-Ganin Asao wins the Kuma Contracting Kona Open
At the Francis II Brown Four Ball Match Play competition at the Ala Wai in June, the team of Steve Ohira and Marshall Uchida defeated Bradley Shigesawa and Chan Kim on the 37th hole of a very tough match.
Kim was a big winner at the 2006 David S. Ishii Foundation HHSAA Golf Championship at Turtle Bay. The surprise was Baldwin's victory in the team division. Not so surprising was the Kaimuki sophomore Chan Kim's win in individual competition. Some say Chan could easily be on a path to professional golf if he wants it. Kim's 140 individual score beat Sean Maekawa's 142 and Tadd Fujikawa's 143. The final scores really don't tell the compelling drama that played out in the last round. Kim and Fujikawa were neck and neck with Maekawa hard on their heels, as Kim put it, until Fujikawa had a bit of hard luck. His putts on the 16th and 17th just burned the edges, "which had my heart pounding!". Kim and Fujikawa are OIA co champs. This is how the teams finished the HHSAA Golf Championship: Baldwin, Punahou, Kauai, Iolani, Kahuku, Kamehameha, Kealakehe, King Kekaulike, Maryknoll, Leilehua, Mililani, Moanalua, Waiakea and Hilo.
Sean Maekawa, winning at Hilo Municipal, the qualifying event for the USGA Amateur Public Links Championship
For Sean Maekawa, his victory came at the Hilo sectional of the USGA Amateur Public Links qualifying held at the par 71 Hilo Municipal Golf Course on Saturday June 10th. 23 golfers played 36 holes of stroke play for one spot in the national tournament that's being held this month in Washington. This is Maekawa's second year in a row to claim medallist honors with two rounds of 67 and 69. Henry Park finished second, Gabriel Wilson took third and Ted Takahama and Max Bonk finished tied for fourth.
During my show, "The Golf Club" radio show every Saturday morning, I like to feature stories from around the world, stories about golfers in far away places, where you wouldn't expect to find a golf course much less a golfer. One of those stories took me to Namibia recently. There, golf fanatics are tackling the sand dunes. Elen Gubeb, in the picture below, is a Namibian with a golf bug. He is a part time caddy and plays at the West Side Club, a nine hole course with no greens, or tees, or water, or grass. Just a lot of stinging sand and some Palm trees. Since he can't find work, he plays golf every day. Sometimes, he says, he imagine himself Tiger Woods or Ernie Els.
Elen Gubeb of Namibia
There are probably lots of young women imagining themselves to be Michelle Wie, particularly after she played in the U.S. Open sectional qualifying and did very well and then jumped right into the second LPGA major of the year, the McDonald Championship in Bulle Rock.
In the end, it was her putter that failed her. If just one of the short rolling lip outs had fallen for her, we'd have seen her take one of the only 18 U.S. Open qualifying spots. It was a field of over 120 very good, some of them PGA Tour, men golfers.
I invited a New Jersey reporter to be on the show June 10th, just days after the Sectional and he was amazed at Wie. Not just the fact that she had five thousand people following her every move as though they were on her leash. Steve Politi from the New Jersey Star Ledger says it was the crowd, and her poise that amazed him. Wie was relaxed inside all the fan fare. It got so crazy at Canoe Brook Country Club, they closed the road at noon.
As her coach, David Leadbetter put it so succinctly, "In the end you've got to hole putts. It's just a matter of time for Michelle."
When she starts holing them, she is going to win and win often.
Michelle Wie
But it wasn't to be at the McDonalds Championship either, even though there were a couple of times she was tied for the lead. She never gave up, but you could tell she was getting tired. She had after all just come off a potentially history making U.S Open 36 qualifier and jumped right into a four day LPGA major. Oh, lets not forget her throwing out the first ball at the Orioles game to boot. Even a 16 year old needs a little down time.
Michelle Wie throws out the ball at the Orioles game
In her two years at the McDonalds Championship, she is the only player to have shot 7 out of 8 rounds under par. That's an amazing feat. But she is also still not the winner. She came close in the final round at the15th but those close lip outs we've become so accustomed to groaning over were her final undoing. Two unlikely candidates roared to the front, forcing a playoff, Karrie Webb and Se Ri Pak.
Webb has invisible on the LPGA Tour for about four years. Her game came roaring back his year. Se Ri Pak was at the point where she actually said she hated the game of golf and wasn't enjoying herself at all. Well they both finished 8 under forcing the playoff that Pak won.
Pak likes golf again.
Wie ended the last round with a par 72, and tied for fifth with Cristie Kerr, Shi Hyn Ahn and Pat Hurst. Ai Miyazato and Mi Hyun Kim tied for second.
Robots and their creators are converging on Italy from all over the world. These robots are programmed to play golf. They've been doing a robot challenge for 28 years for the annual World Robot Championship but this is the first involving golf.
Robot designed to play golf
The four ball pairings, as they are called in golf, score points for putting blue and red balls into holes of the same color. If they hit the ball into the wrong hole they are penalized. The challenge is made even more difficult because there are also black balls in play which must be avoided. Organizer Giovanni Muscato of the host university of Catania says it may seem no use to have a robot able to recognize and hit a ball but many of the technologies that make these robots work can be applied to practical uses, like picking fruit. Five Italian pairs are competing against 60 two-robot teams from 28 countries.
And now for some fun, travel and golf for your next vacation. We're going to close this month with our intrepid reporter Michael Patrick Shiels and his journey to New Zealand and Australia with www.golfwinetravel.com.
Over the course of the first 2 weeks in June, Michael Patrick Shiels vicariously took us on a journey through New Zealand and Australia. Not just a golf tour, which would be breathtaking all by itself, but a golf tour that included stops at the finest wineries in the region he was taken to play. He stayed in the most beautiful hotels. In Australia, the hotel balcony gave a sweeping view of Sydney harbor and the famous Opera house.
Michael Patrick Shiels
If you're interested, check out www.golfwinetravel.com.
We'll have a complete New Zealand and Australia tour coming up next month.
Thank you for your mana and may you hit the sweet spot every time.
Aloha,
Danielle
