Thursday, January 8, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
We could call her Kapalua's “hanai” child. When Morgan Pressel found out there was no one on the LPGA Tour playing for Kapalua Resort, she asked to be the one to wear Kapalua’s Butterfly logo. The folks at Kapalua said, “You’ve got it.” And she does.
Kapalua agreed and Pressel came through in spades, winning the inaugural event.
Kapalua LPGA Classic had all the ingredients of a first class LPGA event: a completely tricked out golf course, the top LPGA stars including Lorena Ochoa, plus a little nostalgia with the final appearance of Annika Sorenstam in a full field event on the LPGA Tour.
And just to keep it real interesting, Mother Nature checked in with the gusty Maui trade winds off the Molokai channel onto the beautifully redone Kapalua Bay Course.
PGA FALL FINISH – JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN
Hawaii’s Dean Wilson and Parker McLachlin both made the cut, and added some cash to their annual income, but the winner of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at the TPC Summerlin was first timer Marc Turnesa. The theme of the weekend, other than the showgirls, was going low. Wilson shot a 63 on Friday.
For the record, Park McLachlin finished T36, with a 67 69 67 69 for -16 and $18,479.29.
Dean Wilson finished T47, 69 63 72 70 for -14 $10,673.67.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
On the Champions Tour, "The Golf Club" radio show guest Bernard Langer defended his Administaff Small Business Classic at the Woods Country Club in Woodslands, Texas, making it two in a row.
2008 ALOHA PGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP & STROKE PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
A very exciting finish at the Princeville Makai Course this year with two winners emerging from a very tight finish. The ASPGA Stroke Play Championship was played at the same time as the Aloha PGA Professional Championship.
John Lynch of GolfTech Honolulu won the Stroke Play Championship with an 11-under par 205 (67-67-71). Ron Castillo Jr. of Puakea Golf Course was second, one stroke back at 206 (68-66-72) followed by Andrew Feldmann of Oahu Country Club and John Hearn of KMR School of Golf at 208.
Ron Castillo Jr. won the SPC title after a 10-hole sudden death playoff between him and John Lynch. Castillo birdied the 10th hole to win that SPC title and join Lynch and Hearn to compete in the 42nd PGA Professional National Championship.
Hearn parred the first playoff hole to secure the last spot in the PNC over Andrew Feldmann. The PNC won’t be until June 28 – July 1, 2009 at Twin Warriors/Santa Ana Golf Clubs in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico.
In the Senior Division, Lance Taketa of Hilo Municipal Golf Course shot a 214 (67-75-72) to win four shots ahead of David Chin of Navy Marine Golf Course at 218. Rodney Acia was the Super Senior Champion in at 225 (77-77-71).
TURTLE BAY AMATEUR
University of Hawaii Freshman TJ Kua won the 2008 Turtle Bay Amateur. Kua shot a 73 on the Turtle Bay George Fazio course and won the 6th annual event by 2 shots over the 2007 Turtle Bay Amateur Champion Bradley Shigezawa.
Kua said his second round wasn’t as solid as his first. But he let his short game pull him through.
“I was thinking too much and trying to make things happen” commented Kua who is the nephew to Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer David Ishii. “I was a little tense on the back nine when the lead was only 2, but the eagle kind of calmed me down” mentioned Kua, talking about his eagle on the Fazio Courses 4th hole. Calling that hole, “the turning point” Kua extended his lead over Shigezawa to three shots.
Kua’s main focus right now is playing well on the University of Hawaii Men’s Golf Team’s remaining events, a trip to San Diego and back home to play two tournaments including the Turtle Bay Resort College Invitational November 8th -12th.
Shigezawa posted the low round of the day shooting a four under par 68 which had 5 birdies and 1 bogey. He’ll be in the 2008 USA Hawaii-Japan Junior Cup. The complete roster is the next story.
This year’s A flight Champion was determined through a two-hole payoff between William Enomoto, James Amihara, and John Iyoki. After Iyoki was eliminated on the first playoff hole, Enomoto won the 2nd playoff hole and took home top honors. Enomoto had a final round 80 and a two-day total of 156.
B flight honors went to Dexter Chun who made a birdie on his 18th hole to beat Stephen Lindsey by one shot.
Byron Lee won the C Flight with a Sunday round 85 on the Arnold Palmer Course.
2008 USA HAWAII-JAPAN JUNIOR CUP
The Hawaii Team Roster
Boys Team:
1. David Fink, Kailua
2. Levi Miyashiro, Kapaa
3. Bradley Shigezawa, Honolulu
4. Justin Keiley, Haiku
5. Taeksoo Kim, Wailuku
6. Alika Bell, Kaneohe
7. Corey Kozuma, Kaneohe
8. Bou-An Fujieki, Honolulu
9. Brian Lee, Honolulu
10.Henry Park, Waikoloa
11.Alex Chu, Honolulu
12.Inoka Kahawaii, Laie
13.Aaron Tom, Honolulu
Girls Team:
1. Cassy Isagawa, Wailuku
2. Marissa Chow, Honolulu
3. Alina Ching, Honolulu
4. Kristina Merkle, Honolulu
5. Kelli Oride, Lihue
6. Cyd Okino, Honolulu
7. Britney Yada, Hilo
8. Alice Kim, Honolulu
9. Kimberly Kim, Hilo
This event, in its second year, is a Ryder Cup style format with the team from Hawaii competing against a team from Japan.
FED EX CUP
Something funny happened on the way to the Fed Ex Cup. The U.S team whipped the European team and walked away the champions.
But at the end of the PGA Tour season, the Internationals walked away with the wins in the season finale. Two men won all four events in the FedEx Cup, and the FedEx Cup championship with its $10 million dollar prize.
The performance of the "internationals" in the FedEx Cup race was another example of how right Paul Azinger, the U.S. Ryder Cup captain, was when he demanded four captains picks instead of the traditional two. He wanted to be able to pick the "hot" players, the guys who were playing at the top of their game right now and not the guys who were playing well 6 months ago but racked up a whole lot of Ryder Cup points.
The Ryder Cup results, the U.S. teams outstanding win, proved the U.S. players were definitely "on" compared to their European counterparts. And based on Zingers’ hypothesis, if we'd played the Internationals this year instead of next, we may have been on the losing end.
We certainly were “putting on the dog” for all of the gala events before the actual Ryder Cup play.
Here’s a sampling of the pre-black tie affair:
RYDER CUP WINNERS TEAM USA
Did anyone get nervous playing for the U.S flag?
Boo Weekley of all people. Maybe that’s why he went galloping down the fairway using his driver as his “horsey”
| Audio Clip (.mp3) |
| Click to listen to Boo Weekely |
And now, from the winning team captain, Paul Azinger.
| Audio Clip (.mp3) |
| Click here to listen to Paul Azinger |
FED EX WINNER
Vijay Singh, who didn't have a consistent year, was still winning enough to have enough FedEx Cup points to begin the final run at the top of the points list and clinched the Cup with two wins. Basically, all he had to do was show up for the two final events and finish, which he did.
He came under intense criticism after he finished down in the 40's and wouldn't talk to reporters about his FedEx Cup win with another event to go.
I really can't fault him for not wanting to talk. He didn't perform. He probably didn't figure he deserved to be happy with himself. How to do you go to reporters to happily take a prize you really haven't won? And certainly didn’t with your most recent performance?
Here’s how Singh eventually put it: “You make a bogey, you get congratulated. You make a double, you get congratulated,” Singh said, breaking into a smile. “It didn’t really matter what I made. It took away the focus of playing this tournament. I tried really hard. When I left to come here to play, I said, ‘I’m going to keep focus.’ But that’s as far as I got.”
And then there was the real surprise, unless of course you've been Camilo Villegas who has been working tirelessly for years to achieve this accomplishment. He won two FedEx Cup events, one in a playoff with his very good friend, Sergio Garcia.
Phil Mickelson laughs with Camilo Villegas of Colombia while walking the 15th hole during the third round of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, at East Lake Golf Club on September 27, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the final event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
ALOHA SECTION PGA FOUNDATION AND CASTLE RESORTS & HOTELS
2008 UH SCHOLARSHIP PRO-AM SERIES
Congratulations to this winning team!
The Series benefits the University of Hawaii Women’s Golf Team. The winning team score was 116. The GolfLink Inc. team led by Joe Phengsavath and his team of amateurs: Carol Arakawa, Michael Wong, Glenn Hirayama and JoAnn Takamiyashiro came in second place with a team score of 117. Jerry Mullen won low pro honors with a 2-under par 70. Don Wilburn, Joe Phengsavath, and Bruce Maeda came in second with a 1-under par 71.
This was the final of three events of the 2008 season. The series of events are intended to provide a full four-year scholarship for the University of Hawaii Golf program for a Hawaii resident who has a financial need. This event also provides Aloha Section Professionals and Hawaii amateur’s a fun filled day of camaraderie and friendly competition.
TIGER WOODS RETURNS AS CADDIE
No limp and a crisp, clean caddie bib on, Tiger Woods showed up for the winner of the “Tee Off with Tiger” at Torrey Pines in San Diego, just four months after his amazing U.S. Open victory. Hopping out of a golf cart, Woods walked up to 59-year old John Abel, took off his cap, extended his hand and with a pleasant hello added, “Hey, I hear you’re looking for a caddie. I’m Tiger Woods. Pleased to meet you.”
Tiger Woods cracks a smile as he attempts to help John Abel with his fourth putt on the 10th green of the South Course at Torrey Pines Monday Oct. 20, 2008 in San Diego. Abel, from West Berlin, New Jersey won a that entitled him to have Tiger Woods caddy for him. Abel five putted the hole.
Abel said the hardest thing was getting used to handing off his club to Woods for cleaning but that Woods showed him things he’d never thought about. “Like when he walks into a sand trap, he feels with his feet. It was just so neat.”
TIGER WOODS RETURNS FOR THE 2009 MASTERS!?
The middle of last month, Tiger Woods said it was very frustrating for him not knowing exactly when he could return to the game. He likes a plan. But the doctors have never done this kind of surgery on an elite player and they can’t give him an exact time frame.
Well shortly after Woods returned to the golf course, as a caddy, he was telling the press he might be back in time for the 2009 Masters. That’s only 9 months after his surgery, which would seem to be the absolute minimum for the demands of golf on his left knee.
Woods suggestion at one point was that it may take him as long as two years to recover. Ernie Els wasn’t surprised. He underwent a similar operation on his anterior cruciate ligament in the summer of 2005. Speaking to reporters at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St. Andrews, Els said he shouldn’t have been so stubborn. He returned to the game six months after the surgery.
"I wanted to come back as soon as possible," admitted the winner of three majors, who damaged his left knee during a freak sailing accident. "I was very stubborn. I had a very good surgeon, Andrew Unwin, down in Windsor, and my rehab went great. It was very painful, but I wanted to get back.
"I set a date for Sun City and that was definitely too early. The doctors down there saw my knee and thought I was crazy to play, it was so swollen. My doctor had told me I couldn't do any more damage. Obviously, Tiger is a little different."
Els added: " You know, he's probably doing the right thing. Your left knee is very important in the golf swing. I still felt (pain] a year and a half after the surgery. It's something that's major.
Els conceded once he'd returned to top-flight competition, he wasn't entirely truthful when responding to questions from golf writers about the state of his knee. "Every time you asked, I said it was fine, but it wasn't. I think at Hoylake for the Open in 2006 (a year after the surgery] was when I felt I was getting over it. The weather was nice and warm that week, and whenever it was warm, I was comfortable. When it was cold, it was horrible."
LINKS TO LITERACY
Thank you to all of the folks who participated in this year’s event, another very successful event!
And that’s all for now. The Governor Cup is on this month at the Mid Pacific Country Club. May the "on" team win.
In the meantime, hope you’ll catch “The Golf Club” Saturday morning.
Thank you for your Mana, and may you hit the sweet spot every time.
Danielle
