Dean Wilson with his International Trophy

Parker McLachlin earns his PGA Tour Card at Q School

Hawaii has two golf professionals on the PGA Tour. Parker McLachlin shot a final round 71 of the 2007 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament and earned his 2007 PGA Tour card by finishing in a tie for 16th. McLachlin has a lot of fans keeping a eye on him since he's been playing in junior golf, Punahou golf and UCLA golf. He joins the 61 golfers who either got their card through the "Q School" or finished at the top of the Nationwide Tour. McLachlin would like to start the 2007 PGA Tour season right here at the Sony Open in Hawaii but it's not a given. Out of the 61 new guys on the block, McLachlin is 38th on the list and that was good enough last year but you never know. This year McLachlin won't have to worry whether #38 makes it. He got an early Christmas gift when Sony offered him a sponsors exemption on December 12th and he accepted.

On "The Golf Club" radio show, December 16th, McLaughlin talked about and thanked all the people who have supported him over the years of working toward and accomplishing this incredible goal, including his wife Kristy.

Parker McLachlin and his wife Kristy (Photo by 808golf.com)

Hawaii's other PGA Tour player, Dean Wilson, won his first PGA Tour event, The International, this past season. Wilson is one of the elite to tee it up at Kapalua for the Mercedes Benz Championship.

Kapalua Plantation Course and the Mercedes Benz Championship
 

The Sony Open in Hawaii - Exemptions and Qualifiers

Sony has given another exemption to Michelle Wie.

Michelle Wie at the Omega Masters in Europe

This will be her fourth opportunity to make the cut and play against the PGA Tour players at Waialae. She is working hard to make a better showing than he recent attempts including the Casio World Open in Japan where she had a two very disappointing days.

Michelle Wie at the 2006 Casio World Open

Wie says her long game was off and that put a lot of pressure on her short game. "I have to get my confidence back on my drive and just hit the ball the way I always do and I'll be fine." Wie has made the cut in one of her 11 starts on men's tours.

The 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii will have more Hawaii competitors than every before. At the Aloha Section PGA Member-Only qualifying at the Waialae Country Club on December 18, 46 professionals teed off for two spots. There was a three-way tie at one under 71. Last years qualifier David Ishii, Abe Mariano of Pure Golf Academy and Fitting Center and Dave Chin of Navy-Marine Golf Course. Ishii lost his ball on his drive on the first playoff hole and finished with a bogey. Mariano and Chin both parred the hole for the two spots. A third spot goes to the Aloha Section PGA Player of the Year, Kevin Hayashi. The fourth spot goes to the low amateur on the Governor Cup Amateur team. Shooting the low score of the day, Tadd Fujikawa of Moanalua High School, with a 67 in the bag.

The next Sony Open in Hawaii qualifier will be held at the Makaha Resort Golf Club where 100 more people will vie for the 4 spots. The field is limited to the first 50 non-PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour members. The field is already full for non-PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour members. It's waitlist only.

Abe Mariano of Pure Golf Academy & Fitting Center

Dave Chin of Navy-Marine GC

Tadd Fujikawa - Low Amateur Qualifier

Ayaka Kaneko is adding the Sony Open to her "to do" list. She is entered in the January 8th Sony Open in Hawaii open qualifying event at Makaha Resort Golf Club. Kaneko hadn't played Makaha when she signed up. If she makes it, Waialae will be like playing in her backyard. Her father is a member and she lives across the street from the first tee. Kaneko plays there almost every day. Kaneko says she feels ready to play against the men this year. She played in the Pearl Open qualifier and finished in a tie for six but she says at the time she wasn't comfortable in an all male field. Now she is ready for the challenge.

Kaneko also plans to compete in the Pearl Open and hopes for a sponsors exemption at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay or the Fields Open at Ko Olina. She also plans to play in three USGA events this coming year so no high school golf for Kaneko. She credits David Ishii for her progress in the game. She started playing when she was 12 and working with Ishii about eight months ago.

SBS Open at Turtle Bay Palmer Course

The SBS Open has granted Kimberly Kim, the U.S. Women's Public Links 2006 champion at sponsors exemption to play in the SBS Open in February.

The Last PGA Grand Slam of Golf?

In November 2006, the latest and maybe the last PGA Grand Slam of Golf was held on Kauai at the magnificent Poipu Golf course. Tiger Woods won the Grand Slam for the seventh time.

Tiger Woods with his seventh trophy

The PGA Grand Slam event pits the winners of the Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship and the British Open in a made for TV showdown. Featuring the four major champions of the year, next year it will be played Oct. 16-17 in 2007, the Tuesday and Wednesday after the HSBC World Match Play Championship in England.

PGA of America CEO Joe Steranka made the decision not to come back to Kauai next year with the PGA Board of Directors and explained it this way in a news conference:

"Golf is a $62 billion industry--$13 billion of which is tourism related. When we are looking for a suitable site for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf we look for somewhere exotic with significant natural beauty. And on a island as stunningly beautiful as Bermuda we have undoubtedly found that. But it's proximity to the major business markets was also very attractive to us. We can very easily bring people down from cities like New York, Atlanta, Washington, DC and even from our base in Florida to enjoy the event."

The tournament began in 1979 at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y., and moved to Minnesota, Florida, Illinois and California before stopping at Poipu Bay for the last 12 years.

PGA of America officials have considered moving the elite four-man event to another city the past few years. Last year there was a lot of talk of moving it to Las Vegas and at the last minute the decision to stay in Hawaii was made.

This year we didn't get that last minute reprieve.

The PGA Grand Slam of Golf is leaving Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean for the colder Atlantic. Next year it'll be held in Bermuda off the East Coast of the United States. This is the first time in the events 24 year history that it'll be played outside the United States. Besides being a huge let down for the people on Kauai who have worked for years to fine tune the event, it was also an unpopular decision with the number one player in the world of golf. Tiger Woods has repeatedly said he didn't want the event to move. Woods said it would be a shame if it didn't return to Kauai. "This is basically like one of the great vacations for us as players to come here. The resort is fantastic. The people that come out and watch, support , there's just genuine people here. Most of the players who reached the PGA Grand Slam of Golf looked at their Kauai trip as an opportunity to unwind from the season with their family and friends.

It was also a very convenient stop for Woods who has made commitments in the past few years to play in China and Japan. Then the PGA Grand Slam of Golf is simply a stop over in Hawaii on his way back to the mainland. Many of the players, who were balking at long distance travel at inconvenient times, didn't want to make the trip to Hawaii in November only to have to turn around and return for the Mercedes Benz Championship in early January of the next year.

The PGA of America's decision to leave Kauai is a huge blow to the Garden Island. The Grand Slam was the only big league sporting event attracting visitors from around the world to watch the best of the best play in an intimate setting.

The loss is a heavy financial blow for Kauai. The Grand Slam was the island's sole major sports event and generates more than $2.4 million in visitor spending and $150,000 in tax revenues. The tournament also helped to market the island to a worldwide television audience as a golf and tourist destination. Sue Kanoho, executive director of the Kauai Visitors Bureau, said she was "extremely disappointed" with the move.

State tourism liaison Marsha Wienert said it was a business decision by the PGA to move the event. She also said "We'll do everything we can to assist Kauai as they look at an event to take the Grand Slam's place," she said. "The state is always open to new sporting events. It's just finding the right event for the right island in the right time of year."

I think it's time for a little Hawaiian creativity. There is such a demand for golf events near China, Japan and Australia, we should come up with our own "off season" spectacular. Perhaps a golf event that fosters good cultural and business opportunity in the Hawaiian Islands. That's what they did with the inaugural "Goodwill Cup" in China between the British Isles and China.

We have a sister city relationship with cities around the world. Hawaii needs to expand those relationships and create an event highlighting China's or India's entry into global preeminence. The players can be pulled from the highest level of the international, U.S. and local stage if the purse is high enough.

The upcoming Golf Conference may be the starting point for putting our heads together to come up with an event for Kauai.

Or we can start bidding for ongoing events. Thailand is hosting the Masters of Asia. The Asian Tour's grand finale includes the top player from the Philippines, Juvic Pagunsan, Korea's Park Jun-Won and India's S.S. Chowrasia, the son of a course greenskeeper. They are all hoping to follow in the footsteps of Korea's Kevin Na who came onto the world stage from the Asian Tour and is now playing in the United States on the PGA Tour.

How about vying for the Solheim Cup, which just announced its 2011 event will be held in Ireland.

Or maybe we can something like what U.S. Kids Golf is doing. Their last junior golf event attracted over 900 players and they expect to up the cut off at 1,100 this year. That includes parents traveling with their young golfer, eating out, renting cars and accommodations plus the sightseeing and other activities they'll want to do while in Hawaii.

Tiger Woods was asked about the level of golf today around the world during the Target World Challenge.

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Tiger Woods on global golf

The Target World Challenge helps the Tiger Woods Learning Center.

Bob Bubka had a chance to talk with the Centers' Executive Director Dr. Kathy Bihr

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Bob Bubka with Tiger Woods Learning Center Dr. Kathy Bihr.

Aloha Section PGA Golf Conference Open to the Public

With the change of venue to Bermuda from Kauai for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, the 2007 Aloha Section PGA Golf Conference comes at a perfect time.

The Aloha Section PGA is offering you the chance to get together with all of the people in the Hawaii golf industry this month at their Golf Conference.

The purpose statement:
To bring together the members of the public, members and business leaders from the golf industry and allied partner industries of hotel and resort operations and development, tourism, advertising and sales and marketing in a collaborative effort to help grow the game and provide a positive impact to the community.

Some of the speakers include the 2008 Ryder Cup Captain and PGA Tour player Paul Azinger, Senior VP of Brand and Consumer Marketing for the PGA Tour Ric Clarson, PGA Tour player Dean Wilson and representatives from the USGA, The Golf Channel and the PGA of America. The conference is January 9, 2007 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm with continental breakfast for $30. Call 523-2230 for more information.

If you've been listening to "The Golf Club" radio show I host, you know that the world is clamoring for the golf tourism dollars. There are agencies being opened in countries from Africa to North Korea with the sole intent of promoting golf in those countries for the traveling golfer.

This "State of the Game" conference will also benefit the newly former Aloha Section PGA Foundation, a non profit charitable 501(c) 3 foundation formed to promote interest, participation and enjoyment of the game and to preserve the history of the game in Hawaii. The cost is $30 dollars which includes a continental breakfast at the Hawaii Prince Hotel on Tuesday, January 9th 2007. Come with your ideas for the health of the game.

The Aloha Section PGA Foundation

The Aloha Section PGA members have also formed the Aloha Section PGA Foundation. The purpose of the Foundation is to raise funds to promote the game, provide for junior golf programs, provide scholarships for qualified secondary education, help golf professionals in their pursuit of full PGA membership, support the community at large, meaningful research into the impact golf has on the Hawaii economy and spreading the social benefits of golf like character building, honesty, honor and integrity.

Turtle Bay Resort Palmer Course

The primary fundraiser will be the Aloha Section PGA Scramble. That's this coming April 13th at Turtle Bay Resort. If you'd like to get in on this very popular event, it fills up quickly. Find you favorite golf course golf professional and let him or her know you'd like to make a team.

There is a series of other Aloha Section PGA Foundation fundraisers planned. They are all Pro-Am Tournaments to benefit the University of Hawaii golf program. Here is the schedule of the Pro-Am series. One will be held February 2nd at the Hawaii Prince Club, April 27th at the Pearl Country Club, August 31st at the Turtle Bay Resort and November 30th at the Makaha Golf Club. The format for each event will be one net/one gross best ball for the 24 four amateur teams who will play with an Aloha Section PGA professional. Castle Resorts is the title sponsor of the series but the Aloha Section PGA is also looking for tournament sponsors for each event.

Proceeds from the events will go to an outstanding Hawaii junior golfer meeting the University's PGA and SAT requirements.

Team sponsors and individual players can call the Aloha Section PGA office at 593-2230 or Andrew Feldmann at the Oahu Country Club at 595-3256.

Bye Bye U.S Open Sectional

The USGA experiment to hold a sectional qualifier for the men hoping for a spot in the U.S. Open is officially over and a failure. According to Mike Davis, the USGA's senor director, rules and competition, says the decision was difficult but the right thing to do since the field in Hawaii lacked quantity of quality players. Hawaii had 10 players for one spot while Denver and Portland also offered only one spot to a much larger field. That means players from Hawaii again will have to fly to Los Angeles or San Francisco to try to earn a spot at Oakmont next June.

The Aloha Open

Ko Olina Golf Course and the Ihilani hotel from the air

We have a new event for international junior golfers next year. It'll be called "The Aloha Open" Hawaii Junior Golf Goodwill Championship. The Hawaii Jaycees, Hawaii State Junior Golf Association and the Aloha Section PGA are partnering to host an international junior golf tournament in Hawaii. The event will be held at Ko Olina and featured 12 teams from the United States and other international cities and countries from around the world. This event, according to the PGA Aloha Section website, will be December 18th to 21st, 2007. The field is open to the first 12 Jaycee Organizations to register and send in their security deposit, including Hawaii as the host. I suggest you get in touch with the Aloha Section PGA ASAP. The website is: www.aloha.pga.com

Caddy Program at Turtle Bay Resort

The caddy program is up and running at Turtle Bay Resort on both courses. The caddies will assist with yardage, green reading, club cleaning, local course knowledge and points of interest about the North Shore and Turtle Bay. You can either walk or if that's not possible, you can take a cart and hire a caddy. For walkers, the caddy fee is $5. If you take a cart and a caddy, the fee is more. Anyone who caddies for a period of two years will be eligible for an Evans Scholar Caddy Scholarship, a national non profit organization to offer scholarship to caddies all over the country. Turtle Bay Director of Golf Matt Hall says about a third of all the applicants last year for the scholarship, got it. You heard about this on "The Golf Club" in early November. Turtle Bay has caddies available for both the Arnold Palmer and the George Fazio courses.

Matt Hall, the Director of Golf at Turtle Bay and this years' Aloha Section PGA president, says he created the caddy program for the players and for the community. "This program gets young people interested in the game of golf and allows them to learn and develop the many skills that are involved in caddying.

Every caddy will have to complete the teaching program offered by the Western Golf Association. Head professional Kevin Carll, and Caddy Master put it this way: "For a nominal fee, guests can enjoy our courses the same way the worlds best touring professionals do when they compete in our annual Champions Tour and LPGA Tour events."

The 2006 Prince Resorts Hawaii/TaylorMade Hawaii State Open

Senior Champion Leland Lindsay, Low Amateur Sean Maekawa, Womens Champion Cyd Okino & Open Champion Tom Eubank

Hawaii's best golfers topped off the year with the 2006 Prince Resorts Hawaii/TaylorMade Hawaii State Open. This is Prince Resorts fourth year supporting the Hawaii State Open and the event was held at their Oahu property, the 27 hole Hawaii Prince Golf Club. The Hawaii Prince Golf Club, designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay, is on the Ewa Plain of Oahu. It occupies 270 acres of sheer beauty and offers stunning views of the rain-carved Waianae Mountains.

Former PGA Tour player and 2002 Hawaii State Open Champion Tom Eubank (36-33) shot a three-under par 69 in the final round for a three-day total six-under par 210. Eubank is a supporter of the Aloha Section PGA and has been a corporate sponsor of the Hawaii State Open as well as the Aloha Section PGA Player of the Year Awards program. He has played in the event every year since 2002 and this year captured his second title.

2006 Open Champion Tom Eubank & Host Professional Tim Herek

We have two tied for second place at three-under par 213: Hall of Fame inductee David Ishii (39-33-72) Director of Golf at Pearl Country Club and Chad Fribley (35-36-71) of Tualatin, OR, who was a former assistant pro at Kapalua. Tied for fourth place at 214 are: mini tour player Donald Hildre (35-34-69) of San Diego, CA, low amateur and Honokaa High School senior Sean Maekawa (39-34-73) who won the low amateur title after a playoff with State High School champion Chan Kim (37-36-73).

Low Amateur Sean Maekawa & Host Professional Tim Herek

Approved Tournament Player (ATP) Leland Lindsay (34-39-73) of Kailua, HI, who just turned 50 in October, ran away with the senior title by six-strokes at two-under par 214. Ron Kiaaina Jr. (35-36-71) of Makaha Resort Golf Club and seven-time senior division champion, ATP Dean Prince (34-37-71) of Lahaina, HI tied for second place at 220.

Senior Champion Leland Lindsay & Host Professional Tim Herek

The Women's Division is a full field of junior amateur golfers. Twelve-year-old Cyd Okino (39-35-74), an eighth grader at Kaimuki Middle School ran away with a ten-stroke lead and three-day total 220. Fifteen-year-old and reigning Jennie K. Wilson Champion, Kristina Merkle (38-40-78) came in second place at 230. In third place is twelve-year-old Kyung Kim of Wailuku, HI at 233.

Women's Champion Cyd Okino & Host Professional Tim Herek

The Open division cut-off score was 154 (45 players) for the two-day total. The Women's division cut-off score was 155 (4 players) with the Senior division cut-off at 157 (15 players). All players who made the cut received a check. Open Champion Tom Eubank will take home $7,500 and a round trip ticket courtesy of Delta Air Lines. This year's combined purse was $60,000.

Hawaii Prince Golf Club hosted the Prince Resorts Hawaii / TaylorMade Hawaii State Open Charity Pro-Am on Thursday, November 16th. This event was run by the newly formed Aloha Section PGA Foundation and is a charity Pro-Am event that benefited the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association (HSJGA) and the Aloha Section PGA Foundation. The event was able to raise $30,000 for these charities. The Pro-Am featured a professional purse as well as many fabulous prizes for the amateurs from TaylorMade.

"The Prince Resort Properties have been very supportive of this event by providing excellent venues for one of our state's most prestigious events," said Paul Sugimoto, Executive Director of the Aloha Section PGA. Next year, the 2007 Hawaii State Open will once again take place at the Hawaii Prince Golf Club.

The Champions Skins Game on ESPN

Jack Nicklaus

The field has been announced for the 2007 Wendy's Champions Skins game. For some reason this year the Champions Skins is played the same weekend as the Sony Open in Hawaii. It's my guess they are doing this to accommodate the Champions Tour players who want to get to the next Champions Tour event immediately after the Turtle Bay Championship.

The event will be January 13th and 14th at Wailea on Maui televised on ESPN TV. It's a $770,000 alternate shot team event.

The players will be in team. Coming for another go at it are: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson and Ray Floyd. So is Dana Quigley, who found glory in his first Wendy's Champions SKINS GAME. And joining them are a couple of new faces in Loren Roberts and Jay Haas, who are eager to find the same kind of rookie success as Quigley did with Floyd in 2006. Once again, Nicklaus and Watson form one team, taking on defending champions Floyd and Quigley, along with Palmer and newcomer Roberts. Player and Haas round out the eightsome.

Wailea Resort is the host of the event for the seventh time, following 11 years at Mauna Lani on the Big Island of Hawaii. The inaugural match was played in 1988 at Turtle Bay Golf Club on Oahu, and the second in 1989 at the Mountain Course at the La Quinta Hotel Golf Club in La Quinta, CA.

Aloha Section PGA E-Z-Go/Golf Concepts Head Pro/Asst Pro Championship

Congratulations to Kapalua Golf Club team of David Rau and John Shaw for their win in the 2006 Aloha Section PGA E-Z-Go/Golf Concepts Head Pro-Assistant Pro Championship at Hualalai. The defending champions held off two teams just one shot back. Oahu Country Club's Andrew Feldmann and Shane Abe (36-33-69) and Turtle Bay Golf's Kevin Carll and Kellan Anderson (36-33-69). In fourth place at 136 was Kevin Carll again, this time with partner Tad Fujimaki (34-35-69).

The competition is a 36-hole four-ball stroke play event. Twenty-six (26) teams, which includes forty-five (45) island professionals played for a $13,350 purse. The first round was played on the Hualalai Course which plays to 7,117 yards, par 72 and the second round was played on the Ke'olu Course which plays to 7,234, par 72. Eligible to play in the Aloha Section PGA Head Pro-Assistant Pro Championship are teams which include; an Aloha Section PGA member classified as Golf Operations Executives, Directors of Golf, or Head Professionals, paired with up to three Assistant Professionals who are classified A-8 Members or Registered Apprentice Assistants from the same resort or golf facility.

7th hole at Hualalai

E-Z-GO is the world's largest manufacturer of golf cars and utility vehicles.

The Hualalai Golf Course is the first Nicklaus design in Hawai‘i and is home to the prestigious MasterCard Championship, a Champions Tour event. This course is available for play to Hualalai Club members, their guests, and the guests of the Four Seasons Resort. In the dramatic lava fields of Ka‘upulehu, the new Ke'olu Course is open only for Hualalai Club Premier members and their guests.

Million Dollar Mini Golf

There's something new coming to Oahu. A miniature golf course is planned for the Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park. It's going to be called Island Adventure Golf and cost one million dollars. The Park broke ground last month for the 18 hole course. 9 of those holes will be accessible to people with disabilities. The miniature golf course will feature water falls, lagoons and a man-made volcano. COST, a design company out of Wisconsin, is designing the layout and it's expected to be open for business on the Memorial Day weekend in 2007.

Olomana Retirement Party!

There is change in the air at Olomana. The Director of Golf Lloyd Nakama is retiring. Norman Ganin-Asao will be taking over. No changes at Casey Nakamas' Golf Learning Center where Casey has instructed Michelle Wie, Cyd Okino, Bradley Shigezawa, Stepanie Kono and Tadd Fujikawa. If you'd like to be at Lloyd Nakama's retirement dinner and golf event, it is a three person scramble on January 29th starting at 7:30 am with the dinner at 6 pm at the Japanese Cultural Center. It's $125 per person and may be filled up already! Call Olomana.

Waikele Golf Club is offering a new special. Seniors get a special rate on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Local residents 60 years and older get to play for $40.

Phil Anamizu won the 2006 Hawaii State Senior Amateur Championship at the Kaneohe Klipper. Tom Goodbody took second. Jade Merkel won the women's division by a stroke over Marcie Rudich.

Junior Golf

Sean Maekawa of Pa'auilo and Elyse Okada of Kahului were the winners at the 2006 Hawaii State Junior Golf Association Ulupalakua Ranch Tournament of Champions last weekend. It was a field of 52 and all of them were the winners of the 2006 junior events in four age groups. They played at Maui's Wailea Golf Club.

Maekawa won by five shots over Chan Kim.

Okada also had a five stroke lead over second place Kelcie Kawano.

Winners in the three other age groups:

13-14: Tommy Yamashita and Anna Jang.
11-12: Lorens Chan and Cassy Isagawa in a playoff over Kyung Kim.
10 and under: Skye Inakoshi and Alexandra Kaui.

The Oahu Junior Golf Association is holding playing ability tests on three dates in January and February. All juniors that were not members in 2006 need to take the test for 2007. Your options are: January 20, 27 and February 27. For more information call 952-6542 or juniorgolfassoc@hotmail.com.

1st Annual Makalei Amateur Championship

The weather was great and the turnout spectacular for the first Makalei Amateur Championship on the Big Island. It was a pretty amazing feat the guys at Makalei pulled off. In July I believe it was they decided to hold a major event and by Veterans Day they had a full field of golfers from around the State. And there he is again, Sean Maekawa comes out on top. The senior at Honokaa High School is on his way to University of Oregon on a golf scholarship and what a resume!

Sean Maekawa, 17, receives the perpetual Makalei Cup for his runaway victory in the 1st Annual Makalei Amateur Championships with a two day total 145

1st Annual Makalei Amateur Championships runner-up Dave Masterson teeing off in Sunday's second and final round, Nov. 12, on our beautiful par-3 No. 2 hole. Mastersons two day total 156.

A Flight winner: Daniel Wilson 159, Nainoa Calip 166, Kurt Kawachi 169
B Flight (net): Tom Philips 136, William Mitchell 142, Gordon Naehu
C Flight (net): Paul Carr (won tie-breaker), Lyle Kanoa 141, Lance Okamura 147

The MAC attracted 110 players, ranging in age from 12 to 89, in four different flights with 30 contestants flying in from Oahu. The charity partners are the FRIENDS of the Children's Justice Center Of West Hawaii and the Kona Junior Golf Association.

The Golf Channel

Golf Hawaii is back on The Golf Channel with Kapalua's Mark Rolfing. The season premier featured Poipu Bay Resort and an interview with Jim Furyk at this year's PGA Grand Slam. This is Rolfing's 12th season of Golf Hawaii featuring exclusive interviews, tours of Hawaii's resorts, Rolfing's insights into the game and updates on current events. Rolfing will be part of The Golf Channel broadcast team for the 2007 Champions Tour season. He'll host the season opening MasterCard Championship at Hualalai on the Big Island and the following week's Turtle Bay Championship from Oahu.

Warsaw golf professional Denny Hepler won the Golf Channels Big Break VI: Trump National this past Tuesday. He beat Jeff Mitchell in the final match play portion of the made for TV golf reality series on The Golf Channel. Hepler will receive exemptions into the 2007 Turtle Bay Championship and the 2007 Bank of America as well as waived entry fees in six events on the 2007 Heartland Players Senior Tour.

Bri Vega won the "Big Break VI" women's title knocking out Hawaii's Bridget Dwyer. The score was 3 and 1 with Vega winning with birdie at the 17th. But they couldn't just do match play in this gritty made for TV event. A bit of "reality" TV in the final episode that couldn't have been left out went just a little over the top, if you ask me. Vega's parents probably agree. You see Dwyer asked Vega, who was already walking on the green, if she would pull the flag for her chip. The next shot is Vega in an interview. Obviously upset with the Dwyer's request she let's the camera person, and the national audience know "I'm not her (blank) caddie." I don't think much of Vega for saying that but I'm also not impressed with The Golf Channels decision to edit it in the show for hype value.

The television coverage of the PGA Tour is about to be handed over to The Golf Channel and it is promising expanded coverage. As part of it's 20 camera coverage, The Golf Channel will include two innovations: the I Cam and the Impact Cam. The I Cam is stationed above the tee box and gives viewers a birds eye look of the golfers swing. The Impact Cam is stationed on the ground in front of golfers. Plus they've have a graphic called "Win Zone" which will constantly calculate a golfers chances of winning the tournament you are watching.

5th Annual Waikoloa Women's Golf Challenge

The most recent fund raiser held for the Hawaii State Women's Golf Foundation was at Waikoloa on the Big Island. It'll be held again in 2007 and you should make plans to be a part of it. It's a great weekend for women to get together and enjoy the game of golf in a competitive environment but with the main ingredient being "fun". You don't have to be a great golfer, or a good golfer, just a fun loving golfer. The weekend offers women a chance to network, raise money for golfers who need help on their road to compete on the national level, and pamper themselves at the beautiful Waikoloa Beach and Golf resort.

Five golfers got a total of $4,000 in travel grants from the Hawaii State Women's Golf Foundation this year. The grants are part of the Lily K. Yao Fund and based on merit, golf aspiration and need.

Lori Planos, who got her amateur status back about a year ago, and Mari Chun each received two $600 grants. Planos qualified for the U.S. Golf Association's Women's Mid-Amateur and Public Links national championships. Chun also qualified for the Public Links and the Women's Amateur. Kelly Nakashima received $600 scholarship for Public Links. Cyd Okino and Kyung Kim also received $500 scholarships.

The Aloha Swing

This month, there are five great golf events you can check out with truly the best of the best and the legends of golf all gathering in Hawaii.

The first event is the Mercedes Benz Championship at Kapalua's Plantation course. Only the winners of the events held in 2006 that were more than 36 holes are invited.

Next month, the LPGA Tour kicks off it's 2007 season at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay and then follows with it's second event at Ko Olina with The Fields Open.

Princeville's Prince course is getting some great publicity. The 8th hole is featured in the 2007 Sports Illustrated Scenic Golf Courses calendar. Plus the Prince course is in the new Tiger Woods PGA Tour '07 video game.

2006 Aloha Section PGA Special Awards.

The 2006 recipients are:

Player of the Year: Kevin Hayashi
Golf Professional of the Year: Edward S. Kageyama
Horton Smith Award: Rob Nelson
Junior Golf Leader: Beau Yokomoto
Merchandiser of the Year - Resort: Rusty Hathaway
President's Plaque: Gregory Nichols
Sales Representative of the Year: Lynne Chow
Teacher of the Year: Jerry King
Bill Strausbaugh Award: Matt Hall
Merchandiser of the Year - Private: Andrew Feldmann
Merchandiser of the Year - Public: Ron Castillo, Jr.
Assistant. Professional of the Year: Brenda Rego
Distinguished Service Award: Jay Hinazumi
President's Award: Mary Bea Porter-King

PGA Tour Joins Forces With "America Supports You"

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem says he wants our troops to know that we support them. Finchem says the PGA Tour is a corporate sponsor with the defense department's America Supports You, recognizing citizens' support for military men and women and their families. Finchem is the son of a career marine. "If you're away from home in a foreign land with your life on the line in a combat environment, it's imperative for us to make that guy feel and know that people over here are thinking about him and that he's got support," Finchem said.

HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS, a nonprofit organization supported by Tour player Phil Mickelson that adapts or builds new homes for accessibility for servicemen and women with serious injuries and disabilities;

INTREPID FALLEN HEROS FUND, a nonprofit organization supported by Tour player Rory Sabbatini that provides financial support for families of military personnel who died in performance of their duties; and

WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT, a nonprofit group supported by Tour player Frank Lickliter II that provides unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of servicemen and women severely injured in the line of duty.

As we go into the New Year, I'd like to wish you all of the best.

Thank you for your Mana and may you hit the sweet spot every time.

Aloha,
Danielle

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