Friday, May 16, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Dean Wilson with his International Trophy
Kimberly Kim with her U.S Women's Amateur Championship trophy
Dean Wilson after winning the International in a playoff with Tom Lehman
What a Sunday. Sunday, August 13, 2006. Turned on the television, checking the PGA Tour action at the International at Castle Pines Golf Course in Castle Rock, Colorado. I thought I had missed the top of the leaderboard. Dean Wilson was the first name at +32! The International is the only PGA Tour event that uses the Modified Stableford scoring system, a system that rewards birdies, eagles and double eagle, punishes for bogeys and double bogeys and does nothing for the lowly par. Wilson was in the lead of the tournament on Sunday afternoon. But there are 8 holes still to play. Will Wilson succumb to his nerves and go down in flames? Will another great player birdie birdie birdie and knock him senseless? It's almost too stressful to watch.
On another golf course, another Hawaii born player was climbing to the pinnacle of success.
Kimberly Kim at the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship
I'd been trying to wait for the delayed television coverage of the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship but I couldn't. I had to check online to see how Hilo's Kimberly Kim, who is now already the youngest player to ever make it to the final round, was doing. She is 1 up after 31 holes! 5 more holes to go. Will her 26 year old woman opponent use her maturity to topple our little Kim? Will Kim succumb to the heat and the exhaustion of a week of golf culminating with this grueling 36 holes of intense match play?
As it turns out, "We're in the trophies". Like in "We're in the money!", a song only my much older readers will recognize.
It's a month of firsts for Hawaii's pool of golf talent.
Dean Wilson never lost his composure
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| Dean Wilson on winning his first PGA Tour victory. |
On the PGA Tour, Hawaii's Dean Wilson became the third Hawaii born player to win a PGA Tour victory. Ted Makalena was the first, David Ishii the second and Wilson the third. Wilson made it to the top of the leaderboard at the International, in a playoff with the Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman
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| Dean Wilson talking about the winning putt. |
Lehman, hoping to become the oldest winner of the event, going for his first title since 2000, now has 8 second place finishes. Wilson won his first PGATour championship, $990 thousand dollars, his first invitation to the exclusive, season opening Mercedes Championships at the Kapalua Plantation course on Maui and propels him up to the 22nd position on the official PGATOUR money list! That's not good enough for the Ryder Cup team chances this year but he has secured his PGA Tour card for another year! No Q School for Wilson this year!
Dean Wilson with his caddy
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| Dean Wilson talking about his career path. |
In Amateur and Junior golf news, which now actually transcends junior golf and turns teenagers into young women, Hilo's 14 year old Kimberly Kim became the youngest winner in the 111 year history of the U.S Women's Amateur Championship. You need to see the Golfweek with Kim on the cover. Since Kim signs her autograph "Kim Kim", Golfweek has dubbed her Kim2, like in Kim to the power of 2. She beat 26 year old Katarina Shallenberg, who was trying to become the first German-born player to win the USGA event.
Kim won it 1 up after 36 holes. At one point, Kim was down 5. Where did her inspiration come from? Deep inside and from the guy standing next to her. Kim had a lot of help from her caddy. His name is Frank Nau, a club caddy from Pumpkin Ridge. Even during the final, Nau kept after Kim, to make sure she was paying attention to the putting line while her opponent went first on at the green. During Kim's interview after going into the semi finals, she told reporters about Nau. She was asked how she felt about the match against opponent Eileen Vargas. This was her answer:
"In the beginning I was just like tired and I wasn't playing good, and like I just didn't want to play anymore. I felt so bad. And then my caddie just like basically fought with me to make me like start playing well again. And then I started hitting some pretty good shots."
Kimberly Kim with her caddy
Q: So something made you decide to start trying?
Kimberly: Yes.
Q: Was it strictly your caddie?
Kimberly: Pretty much.
Q: What did he say?
Kimberly: I don't know. He was just like telling me not to give up."
Let me take you into the interview room where Kimberly Kim met with the press as the U.S. Women's Amateur Champion.
Kimberly Kim out of the bunker
The United States Women's Amateur is one of the USGA's original three championships. It was first held in 1895, shortly after the inaugural U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open. The Women's Amateur has been held every year except during World War I and World War II. This year it was held at Witch Hallow at Pumpkin Ridge. Designed by golf architect Bob Cupp, it opened in 1992.
By the way, winners don't always win. At the 2006 McDonald's Betsy Rawls Girls Championship at the White Manor Country Club in Malver, Pennsylvania, Stephanie Kono finished tied for 18th and Kimberly Kim of Hilo tied for 48th.
At the 2006 AJGA HP Boys Junior Championship, at the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida, Moanalua's Tadd Fujikawa finished 42nd. No winner don't always win, they just don't give up!!
One of the most important, maybe the most important, relationship a golfer develops in competitive golf is the one with his or her caddy. The Caddy. Someone who can help motivate you even when you don't want to be motivated. The relationship Tiger Woods and Steve Williams has, is one of those strong bonds. You saw it when Woods won the British Open. He embraced Williams, letting his weight go on Williams shoulder. Steadied by his friend, his employee, the tears flowed. All the desire to win for his Dad, who died just weeks before the U.S. Open, couldn't be contained. This major was huge after Woods missed the cut at the U.S. Open just a month before, the first time Woods missed a cut at a major. There was a lot of speculation, as there always is in golf. Will Woods get it together or had he lost his game?
It was a whole, new Tiger Woods who showed up at for the British Open, or just the Open as its known outside the U.S. A whole new, scarier Tiger Woods. Maybe even a new and improved Tiger Woods.
Tiger Woods wins The Open at Hoylake
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| Tiger Woods talks about his strategy. |
This new Woods took out his driver once during the four days of tournament play. He mastered the golf course and beat the rest of the best by playing an awesome iron game. There were a couple of times when Tiger gets really mad at himself for a "stupid" mistake, when he just about throws the club and grimaces menacingly at his own reflection, but for the most part Woods was the image of calm. Talking easy with his caddy Williams, even "relaxing" when he had to wait for the guys ahead to finish up on the green. Woods never lost his focus or his obvious intent to win his third Open title and the 11th career major. Woods finished 18 under par, two shots ahead of Chris DiMarco and five ahead of Ernie Els. Walking up to the last, Tiger told us what he and his caddy were talking about: "Stevie (Williams) said to me as we were coming up the last, 'this one is for dad'. And then, after the putt, all these emotions just poured out of me. They have been locked in there. I just miss my dad so much. I wish he could have been here to witness this. He enjoyed watching me grind out major wins and this would have brought a smile to his face."
Tiger Woods keeps his focus
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| Tiger Woods talks about the emotional finish. |
Woods congratulated his friend DiMarco on his excellent play. DiMarco was hurting too. His mother died suddenly from a heart attack just three weeks before the Open. DiMarco and his family decided his mother wouldn't want him to not play golf, that she'd want him to be in the Open.
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| Chris DiMarco talks about being in contention in a major. |
Woods is now tied with Walter Hagan in second place in the major winners stakes, seven behind Jack Nicklaus' 18. But Woods has won his 11 two years younger than Nicklaus when he claimed his 11th at the 1972 US Open. Woods is only the 19th player in Open history to win three Claret Jugs and he is the first man to win back to back Opens since Tom Watson did it in 1982 and 1983.
The last time the Open was held at Hoylake, 44 year old Argentine, Roberto Di Vicenzo, edged out Jack Nicklaus to win the 1967 Open Championship.
It's interesting to look back on the British Open. 109 years ago, in 1897, the winner, Harold Hilton shot 314 to win at the Royal Liverpool Hoylake course. Tiger Woods needed only 270 strokes to win the 11th Open played there. The course was designed by Robert Chambers and George Morris back in 1871. Since 1897, ten Open Championships have been played there. The makeup of the players in the Open has changed significantly over these 109 years. There were 43 players from the U.S, 29 from England, 23 from Australia, 4 from Scotland, South Africa, Wales, Spain, Ireland, Sweden and Japan. Also golfers from Argentina, Fiji, Denmark, and Thailand. Thailand's Wiratchant got a hole in one during the Open.
After blowing away the field with his incredible irons play at the Open, Tiger Woods warmed up for the final major, the PGA Championship, with a win at the Buick Open in Michigan. This is a course with a reputation for attracting some of the most uncharacteristic and loyal galleries. They come with goofy signs, ridiculous chants and they drink a lot of beer. The 17th green gallery became so notorious for it's enthusiastic embrace of the golfers, the tournament organizers tried making the stands smaller, moving the beer farther away, even moving the port-a-potties farther away but nothing worked. Warwick Hills is a fisting bumping, rousing crowd of "happy campers" and the golfers who show up for the Buick Open have learned to embrace them. So on Sunday, August 6th, when Woods walked up to the 17th with his 50th PGA Tour win just about locked up, he actually encouraged the roar he knew was coming.
Tiger Woods wins event #50, the youngest player to accomplish that feat.
Woods beat Jim Furyk by three strokes, shot his fourth consecutive round of 6 under 66 to finish the tournament at 24 under 264. He made a personal best 28 birdies on the week against only four bogeys. He is the youngest player to reach number 50, at 30 years, 7 months and 6 days. Jack Nicklaus held the previous record at 33 years 6 months and 21 days. Nicklaus did it in 262 events while it took Woods only 196. As his coach, Hank Haney put it, "It's just more evidence to everybody that he is improving."
While Tiger Woods was waiting for his trophy on the 18th, two tournament workers walked out with a giant cake commemorating the milestone victory. Woods swiped some of the icing with his finger and tasted it. "It's good" he reportedly said. Yes, being Tiger Woods. It's good.
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| Tiger Woods talks about "how good it is!" to win another one! |
The relationship between golfer and caddy doesn't always work smoothly. Perfect example this past month, with the Wie Team firing Michelle Wie's caddy Greg Johnston after the Weetabix Women's British Open.
Michelle Wie with former caddy Greg Johnston
It came as a huge shock to all of us. Okay it was a shock to most of us. There were those who now say they saw it coming. You often hear from the "we saw it coming" crew after the fact. But in this case, some of them are pretty credible. Like Juli Inkster. Greg Johnston was her caddy for 11 years before he jumped ship and accepted the offer from the Wie Team. Inkster, a Hall of Famer, who won four of her seven major championships with Johnston, is still upset with the way Johnston was hired away from her. Quoted in an article written by E.M. Swift for SI.com, Inkster says "it would have been nice to get a phone call from the family, saying this is what we're thinking of doing. I'd had Greg for 11 years. It's not like I was some rookie. But that's not the way they do things. Instead they gave him a take-it-or-leave it in the middle of my season, right before the Solheim Cup. I don't blame him. He's got kids to think about. But that didn't sit well."
From what we've heard so far, Greg Johnston was fired by Michelle Wie's agent, Ross Berlin, while Johnston was sitting in the airport waiting for his flight back to the U.S. from Britain.. Johnston had dinner the night before with Berlin of the William Morris Agency. Johnston told GolfDigest.com he was "shocked and surprised" when he got the bad news, said he thought they were having a successful year, and it would have been nice to get a phone call from the Wie family. But from the way he was hired, the writing was on the wall. Kind of like starting a relationship with someone while you're still in a relationship. You've always got to wonder if the past will repeat itself.
Why was he fired? Nothing really concrete. A Wie spokesperson, Jesse Derris of the Ken Sunshine Agency, released this statement. "Greg Johnston's hard word and dedication made him a great partner for Michelle, as he would be for any other golfer. His departure comes as part of Michelle's maturation as a golfer, part of which is learning from many different bright golf minds. We wish Greg the best, and are sure he will have a long and successful career.
Some say Johnston shouldn't be surprised for being fired because he wasn't a very good caddy. They say he should have known the rules better. They say under his lack of guidance, Michelle violated the rules of golf twice. Two violations that have become front page news with catastrophic consequences for the young professional trying to break records and post her first win.
The first infraction involving the incorrect drop that lead to signing of an incorrect scorecard that lead to her being disqualified from her first professional tournament at the Samsung World Championship last October.
The second infraction happened a couple of weeks ago at the Weetabix British Women's Open.
The Women's British Open, where Michelle hoped to finally break through and win her first event since turning professional. She was so close she could practically taste victory at the Evian Masters, where she was leading during at several times during the last holes only to see Karrie Webb take it away. But instead of breaking through at the Women's British Open, Wie wasn't even a contender. She finished tied for 26th. During the second round, she was gaining momentum, coming back from a disappointing opening 2 over 74. That is until she touched a piece of moss in the bunker.
Michelle Wie with former caddy Greg Johnston at the Evian Masters
Learning the rules
Rule 13-4: Ball played as it lies. The player must not touch or move a loose impediment lying in or touching the bunker before making a stroke at the ball that is in a bunker. The definition of a stroke is the forward movement of the club. If she came in contact with anything before moving her club forward, she violated the rule. She came in contact with the moss in her backswing, which was before her stroke.. Michelle mistakenly thought she was making her stroke when in reality, in the rules of golf, she was making her backstroke, which doesn't count as being part of the stroke! That violation resulted in a two stroke penalty.
Back to SI.com's E.M Swift. Swift says an experienced caddie told him at the Weetabix "every time she misses a green, it's the caddie's fault - except when Dad's on the bag." Swift reports being outside the scorer's trailer at Royal Lytham and St. Anne's when Wie got word she had been penalized two strokes for grounding her club in the bunker. Johnston had reportedly told her she couldn't move the impediment but Wie's parents, says Swift, were visibly angry as they pulled their 16 year old daughter aside to get her version of what had happened. Swift says it was a tense scene. Wie's two bodyguards were rude and aggressive while keeping photographers and TV cameramen from filming the meeting, even though it was taking place in the mixed zone where interviews are routinely conducted. Michelle was near tears, according to Swift. She hadn't known the rule. She thought if she just continued her swing, there was no violation. Swift goes on to write in the August 9th article that LPGA observers have suspected it was only a matter of time before someone besides Michelle would be held accountable.
As an aside, next to that article, there was a poll readers were invited to vote on.
The question:
"Are Michelle Wie's parents making a mistake with the way they are handling her career?"
The options the reader had:
"No, she's still just a teenager."
"Yes, she's turning into a spoiled child."
I was very disappointed in the way Sport Illustrated, at SI.com, posed that question. They changed the focus from the parents to the child by the way they phrased the options the reader had.
The poll results?
11% or 1 843 chose "No, she's still just a teenager"
89% or 15 368 chose "Yes, she's turning into a spoiled child"
If you ask me, the possible answers were leading to what the poll takers wanted to hear. Michelle didn't point at Greg Johnston and do "The Donald" famous line from television: "You're Fired!". Team Wie made that decision. No word on who Team Wie plans to hire to caddy for Michelle when she plays in September on the European Tour Omega European Masters in Switzerland or the 84 Lumber Classic on the PGA Tour the following week. She'll also play at the LPGA Samsung in October, when she turns 17. So what if her name isn't in the record books as the youngest woman to win an LPGA event or to make the cut on the PGA Tour. If there is anyone putting pressure on Wie to win, shame on them. Wie will win and when she does, and then she'll keep on winning. And then you'll hear the media moaning about all the winning she does. Just like they moaned when Tiger was winning. And then they moan when he isn't. Until then, let her have fun! She deserved to kick back and enjoy being at the top of the heap at the age of 16 when there are no limits!!!!!
Michelle Wie, "playing" during the media days leading up to the Weetabix Women's British Open.
Congratulations to the team of Feldmann-Stubblefield on their win at the 2006 Aloha Section PGA ProLink Solutions Pro-Pro Championship played at the Kaanapali South Course. 25 teams of Hawaii based professionals played 36 hole 4 ball stroke play for an 11 thousand dollar purse. Andrew Feldmann of Oahu Country Club and Larry Stubblefield, Aloha Section PGA Member from Honolulu, shot a 68 (2 under par) in the final round for a combined two-day score of 133. Feldmann and Stubblefield took home team winnings of $3,000 and edged out three other teams tied for second place at 135. Feldman was impressed with the new greens at the Kaanapali South Course. The North Course is now under renovation.
Jeff Feldman and Dale Miller of Prolink Solutions (far left and far right) present a check for $3,000 to Larry Stubblefield and Andrew Feldmann for their win at the 2006 Aloha Section PGA Prolink Solutions Pro-Pro Championship.
Andrew Feldmann lets one rip off the 541 yard par 5, #8-hole on Kaanapali's Resort South Course. Photo credit: Jose Morales II.
Another winner, this time on the Kohala coast at the beautiful Mauna Lani is Makaha Resort Golf Course's Ron Kia'aina Junior. Not only did he win the Classic Resorts Aloha Section PGA Senior Championship, and the biggest check, he was the top Senior Club Professional Championship (CPC) qualifier. He did it in a playoff after a three way tie for the win with Mike Rich of Maui Country Club and Larry Stubblefield. Kia'aina is going on the trip to the National Senior CPC at PGA Golf Club, with three others. Rich, Stubblefield and Ray Suzuki of Waialae Country Club, who won his spot in a playoff with Dugal Milne from Makena Golf Course, will be playing for $20,000 and the low 35 players go to the 2007 Senior PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Golf Resort where the top five finishers will be exempt into the final stage of the Champions Tour Qualifying.
Patty Carvalho of Classic Resorts, Ron Kia'aina Junior, and Host Professional Dennis Rose
Some of the most exciting match play golf was right up at the Oahu Country Club. The final 36 holes to 42 year old Jonathan Ota on his victory at the Manoa Cup the last week in July at the Oahu Country Club. The final holes in the 36 hole final were so close, Ota beat 53 year old Gary Kong by 2 and 1 on the 35th. It was back and forth the entire day, with Ota leading for the most part of the first 18 and Kong taking over the second 18 only to see Ota take him at the last. Very exciting match! Good to see the mature golfers come in first!
One of the final 16 was a young man from Maui, Robert Greenleaf. The 15 year old's first Manoa Cup came after 40 days on the road in the Callaway Junior Series on the Mainland. Greenleaf returned to the Mainland when he was eliminated,, bound for the final Callaway event where he earned enough points to win Player of the Year in the 13 to 15 age group. That earned him a spot in the Westfield Junior PGA Championship.
Robert Greenleaf, Callaway Junior Player of the Year 13-15 year old division
Congratulations to 16 year old Kaimuki High's Chan Kim for his win at the 2006 U.S. Army Hawaii Invitational at Leilehua Golf Course. He won by ten strokes, carding 69, 69 and 68. His final round 68 gave him a three stroke victory over runner up Pierre Henri Soero, who shot the tournament low of 67. The top three included Brandon Kop.
In the Senior division, Mervin Matsumoto was the winner. A flight was won by Michael Miquel. B Flight won by Jim Hrysyzen and C flight by Neal Kido.
At the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships at Pinehurst in North Carolina this past month, where Junior golfers from 47 states and 33 countries turned out, Hawaii had lots of players. There were a total of 960 in the field and next year there will be more. The tournament organizers had to limit the field because they didn't expect the response. Next year they expect to have over 1100.
Hawaii's Cyd Okino shot a final round 74 to finish 3rd in her girls 12 division. Okino shot 71, 71, and 74 but six shots behind the winner, Dottie Ardina from the Philippines. In the same division, Marissa Chow of Honolulu and Kelli Oride of Kauai finished tied for sixth.
Girls 11: Kelli Anne Katsuda finished 22nd and Kacie Komoto 23rd.
Girls 8 and under: Allisen Korpuz of Waipahu won by seven strokes!
Boys 12 under: Lorens Chan was the winner. Alexander Chiarella of Makawao 9th and Kyle Kurihara 88th.
Boys 11 under: Kalena Perus tied for 20th.
Boys 10 under: Richard Hattori finished 11th, Justin Kurihara 23rd and George Corpuz 62nd.
Boys 9 under: Donny Hopoi of Aiea tied for 18th and
Boys 8 under: Kyle Suppa tied for 48th.
We have a lot of parents to be proud of, for providing all the support junior golfers need. If you have any pictures you'd like to send me, I'd love to hear from you.
Also on the Mainland, West beat the East, walking away with the Canon Cup by 8 points and Hawaii players were instrumental in making that happen. Punahou's Stephanie Kono, Hilo's Kimberly Kim and Moanalua's Tadd Fujikawa help the West win 19 1/2 to the Easts 11 1/2 points at the 17th American Junior Golf Association's Canon Cup in Lake Forest, Illinois. The event pits the ten best male and female junior golfers from east of the Mississippi River against the west. Matches include four ball, mixed four ball, foursomes, mixed foursomes and singles.
Arizona State sophomore Amanda Wilson made history in August when she became the first female to play in the 83 year history of the Big Island's Amateur Championship Tournament at the Mauna Lani resort Francis H. I'I Brown north course. Wilson won the 2004 Jenny K and still holds the tournament record there. Also in the field, Wilson's brother Gabriel. Gabriel Wilson of Hilo, a senior at the University of Idaho, became one of the few individuals to win the title twice. Gabriel shot rounds of 78, 75 and 72 for a total of 225 to win the event by four strokes over Hilo's Pono Calip, a sophomore at the Kamehameha Schools Big Island campus. Third place went to Jeff Strang of Kona. How did Amanda do? She shot 82, 90 and 78 for a total of 250 and sole position of 8th place.
Cover photo of "Paper Tiger"
Have you ever wondered whether you could have made it to the big leagues in golf if you just didn't have anything else to worry about and all the money in the world to buy all the best equipment, train with the best swing coach, the top fitness trainer, the most elite of the mental game coaches? Well someone did just that. His name is Tom Coyne. He was a pretty good college golf player. Even better high school golf team player. One day he decided to make it his year long mission - to do nothing but train golf, read golf, focus golf, practice golf and sleep golf. At the end, he wrote a book about his experience and his success. It's a must read for all of us, whether you be on the top or on the bottom of the heap of golf success - duffer or hot shot. The book is "Paper Tiger". I was turned on to the book by one of the most eloquent mental game coaches I've had the opportunity of talk with. His name is Dr. Robert K. Winters who developed Mindpower Sports. Winters is a Sports Psychologist and Performance Consultant. He is also a golfer. He has written books, produced audio tapes, DVD's and CD's. You'll be able to hear him on "The Golf Club" on September 23rd or you can go to our website and hear the show we did on August 5th with Dr. Winters, Coyne and Michael Patrick Shiels from the Buick Open. Just go to www.radiogolfclub.com, click on the listen button, scroll down to the date and click on the format you wish to listen with. It's a great show.
Just in case you missed this one, the USGA surprised more than a few people approving the use of laser range finders in tournaments under local rules. In other words, they won't let you use them during a USGA event but if a local amateur or professional event want to make it useable, you can. But the USGA is only allowing devices measuring yardage. You can't use the kind that measure the percentage of the incline or decline on a hill. Those devices actually compute the real yardage into how far the shot will actually play. The USGA's senior technical director, Dick Rugge, said "We just want them to be able to use something that can give them the yardage and nothing more." The decision helps increase the pace of play for some. Caddies on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour have used lasers for years in practice rounds, writing down the information for use during competition. You may remember the copious notes Phil Mickleson reportedly made before the U.S. Open.
Looking forward to hearing from you, and you can always listen to "The Golf Club" radio show on your computer. Just go to www.radiogolfclub.com and click on the listen button. The show guests are listed next to the dates.
Until next time, thank you for your Mana and may you hit the sweet spot every time.
Aloha,
Danielle Tucker
