Congratulations to Y.E. Yang.

On August 16, 2009, Yang won the 91st PGA Championship overcoming a two-shot deficit going into the final round to defeat Tiger Woods for Yang's first major championship. The victory was the first major championship for a male player born in Asia. It was also the first time that Woods failed to win a major after holding at least a share of the lead at the end of 54 holes.


Y.E. Yang says he did a lot of work to prepare mentally for the challenge, after watching so many other good players dissolve over the final holes of a major tournament. (Since Yang speaks no English, all audio will have the question in English, then the Korean answer, followed by Ryan Park's translation)
  

Audio Clip (.swf)

Yang talks about the visualiztion process he went through for the run up against Tiger Woods.

Yang simply outplayed Woods in the final round.  Yang was doing everything right!
 

Audio Clip (.swf)

Tiger Woods talks about his performance and his loss.

Woods couldn't get a putt to drop for him, no matter how hard he pleaded with the ball. I counted 11 close calls. He didn't even resort to swearing at that point. If you read his lips, they distinctly said, “Give me a break”. You could tell he just knew it wasn't going to happen for him. I'm sure you've felt like that, many more times than Woods:
 

Not only did Yang beat Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship in Hazeltine, becoming the first Asian player to win a major in the United States, Yang has beat Woods once before. Woods couldn't catch Yang in 2006 at the HSBC Champions event in China at Mission Hills.


Yan-Joon Yang, a farmer, never wanted his son to get into the game of golf.  "Golf is for rich people. Why are you trying to become a golfer? Please don't do it," Yang has recalled his father saying as he begged him not to pursue his newest passion.

But there is no denying father Yang is very happy for his son, who started off as a body builder, got hurt, took up golf to remain active, then started teaching the game before deciding he could play it for a living.

Sometimes you’ve just got to follow your dreams to get what you want, but not without a lot of hard work,

Besides Y.E. Yang, his family and friends, his entire country, and folks of Korean ancestry around the world, the business of golf is very happy to see Tiger lose to an Asian player. The TV ratings stayed strong with Woods in the lead and Yang gave hope to all the players in Asia.

THE SOLHEIM CUP


Team USA may have been the heavy favorite but the win on Sunday didn’t come easy. After two days of tough competition, Team USA started out that final day tied with the Europeans at 8 points each.  After a hard fought day, and watching Michelle Wie prove she can hold her own, the Americans won their third straight Solheim Cup with a 16-12 decision over Europe.



It was going into the singles matches, one against another, match play for the Solheim Cup. And there were many moments when the US team was way down.

I’d been watching the Solheim since competition began on Friday, between 3 AM and 11 AM and sometimes later, until the conclusion on Sunday. The 6 and a half-hour match on Friday was just a little bit long. As one friend said, “I understand the need to be deliberate but think her hair was shorter when the match started. He was talking about a European team member but it could have been about any one of the players”.

The matches on Sunday were excellent. The team captains, particularly on the European side, matched up against size and tried to take advantage of experience over rookie, particularly in the third pairing of the morning. Michelle Wie was matched against Helen Alfredson, ranked tenth in the world and a former Solheim Cup European team captain.


Michelle Wie was simply in heaven. She said this event was 100 times more important to her than anything she had done up to that point. And every day, she showed us exactly what she is capable of doing. Plus she took time for a mini putting clinic that obviously changed her putting technique and made her even better on the greens. Much more confident and less hesitant, and, as she put it, “People have seen a different side of me,” Wie said after her tough, 1-up victory over former Europe captain Helen Alfredsson on Sunday. “It’s just been a lot of fun. There’s nothing to describe it. … This week in general has given me such a confidence boost.”

Even with the announcers on television sounding catty at times, even jealous as my husband pointed out, as though they were just waiting for Wie to collapse, she pulled it out almost going down at the last and fighting her way back to victory.  Again they questioned whether Michelle was going to crumple and collapse on a Sunday, unable to close the round with a win.


Michelle Wie was fabulous to watch. I'm not just saying that because Michelle is from Hawaii. She has finally come into her own. It was obvious she was having fun knowing her teammates respected her for her ability and who she is as a person. They like her and she likes them. She was one of the team, one of the girls, and it started as they were on their way to Illinois.  She flew for the first time without her parents to an event. Keeping her parents at bay allows her to stop worrying about keeping them happy.

Does this mean we’ll finally see a win for Wie as a professional on the LPGA Tour? I think it’s just a matter of time. Others went a bit further.

“I would bet you a large amount of money that Michelle will win before the year is out,” Juli Inkster said after the Americans won their third straight Solheim Cup with a 16-12 decision over Europe.

Morgan Pressel delivered the clinching point with her 3-and 2 victory over Anna Nordqvist. Look who is running to congratulate Morgan Pressel who used to be one of Wie’s biggest critics.


This week wasn’t about questioning anyone’s ability. Wie proved herself going through Q-School like everyone else, unless they worked their way up on the Duramed FUTURES Tour.

As captain Beth Daniel told the captains picks, Inkster and Wie, “you aren’t captains picks anymore. You are teammates”. They both proved Daniel knew what she was doing.

“This is so important to us,” Pressel said. “It’s not about pride. It’s not about money. It’s about country. It’s about our teammates.”

Michelle Wie, whose 3-0-1 record this week was the best of any player on the US team, grabbed an American flag and held it aloft as the crowd cheered.

“Most of the day, I didn’t think it was going to happen,” the United States captain Beth Daniel said, with tears coming. This even though the Americans were the heavy favorites. Unbeaten on US soil, having won the last two Solheim Cups and with more top ranked players, the U.S. had to fight to the final matches to secure their victory.


Angela Stanford gave the Americans their first boost, beating Becky Brewerton, 5 and 4, to give the United States the first point of the day. Paula Creamer followed with a victory over Suzann Pettersen, and Wie rebounded to beat Helen Alfredsson, 1 up.

This was Wie’s coming out party, her debutante ball. Like in the old days, when the young women were introduced to society. But this time she was introducing herself to the world. This was her time to come into her own, to be her own person without the ties to and the expectations of family. No more scripted responses to questions. She’s a woman now.  She gets to set the boundaries, choose her path and make her choices.
KOREAN COMMUNITY

Michelle Wie loved seeing Y.E. Yang celebrate his victory at the PGA Championship by hoisting his golf bag over his head Sunday.
"That was pretty cool," Wie said Tuesday at Rich Harvest Farms, site of the Solheim Cup. "If I did that, all my golf clubs would fall out the other side."

Wie and Woods may be linked through the Nike swoosh, but Wie is Korean American and that bond will always be tighter. Wie played a practice round in Japan. I just thought he was the nicest guy," she said. "He gave me a couple of putting tips.” Although Wie could not watch the PGA because her Sunday flight to Chicago was diverted to Indianapolis, she made no secret whom she wanted to win -- Yang.

"I was pulling for him," she said.

ASIAN BREAKTHROUGH?
 
PGA Tour executive Ty Votaw, who, along with the Royal & Ancient, and the United States Golf Association, lobbied, apparently successfully, to get golf included in the Olympics. Votaw spoke with a number of editors from Golf  Magazine and Sports Illustrated, Monday "quarterbacking" following Yang’s win.

 Votaw said Yang's victory could be a game changer. "Absolutely. I just got off the telephone with the sponsor of our season opening event, the SBS Championship, and we were discussing what a historic week it has been for golf globally. Golf made the cut to potentially be added to the Olympics in 2016, and the men's game has its first Asian major winner.”

Votaw must have enjoyed talking with the heads of Seoul Broadcasting, now sponsoring the PGA Tour season opener at Kapalua on Maui.  It’s a huge benefit having a Korean PGA Championship winner in the SBS Championship at Kapalua during their first year as sponsor.

Votaw was asked if this win is potentially as big as Se Ri Paks first win of a major on the LPGA Tour.

Golf Magazine senior writer Cameron Morfit quickly jumped into the conversation to point out South Korea has a mandatory two-year military commitment, which may put a damper of any huge influx of players. No jumping from high school or college to a career in golf before you finish your obligation to military service.

"If what you mean is that there won't be 46 South Koreans playing on the PGA Tour in 11 years time, you may be right, but Yang's win (along with the potential Olympic spot in 2016) could have a significant impact in other ways — investment in the development of the game, junior golf and overall interest in golf. No one sitting here tonight can predict exactly what that impact will be, but as my father used to say, "It is better than a sharp stick in the eye."

Dick Friedman, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: In terms of seismic shock — an Asian player beating Tiger in a major — this could have more ripples, especially in terms of awareness and marketing. Is this Asia's Francis Ouimet moment?

Votaw: “In most other parts of Asia, and especially in China, golf is growing, but not big. In fact, golf in China is considered more of a leisure activity than it is a sport. Y.E. Yang's win and the Olympic news could change that perception overnight.”

DON’T JUMP, CHANGE IS GOOD

Hold the phone. Facebook. Twitter. Text. Whatever you're doing, we need to talk.
Tiger Woods lost a golf tournament. (I love how people says this), FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, he lost a major he was leading going into the final round. Wearing a red shirt, no less. (Bet he'll never wear a striped red shirt on a Sunday again.)

First off, I’m amazed at how short “history” has become.

Get out and change the history books and watch out because Tiger Woods has passed his prime and lost his game and the whole world is about to collapse.

People, it's not the end of the world.  To those souls crying out in desperation, yes - he lost the last major of the year. He was shut out at the major’s this year for the first time in his career.

Yes, he won't be going to Bermuda. (Probably wasn’t even if he had won.)

He isn't a step closer to breaking Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors in a golf career.  

People.
The only losers here are those who smugly figured the outcome of this major, the PGA Championship, was a foregone conclusion and said so publicly.

Oh, and Paddy Power. That's a betting house in England, where it's legal to bet on just about anything. On Saturday, Paddy Power was paying out to those who bet Woods would win. There are lots of people really glad Paddy Power came out the real loser in all of this.
 
Here's the reality check. Tiger Woods is a human being. His putter failed. How many times did we watch the putt come this close to going in, and didn't. Putting it in perspective: Woods just won career tournaments numbers 69 and 70 and was leading through 54 plus holes in the third tournament in a row he had entered.
 
So lets recap.
At the last minute, Woods announced he would play in the final Buick sponsored event at Warwick Hills. What a huge shot in the arm for the people of Michigan, where they don't call the downturn in the economy anything less than a depression.


For a week in August, Woods gave them all something to shout about, golfers and non-golfers alike. The bars were filled, the restaurants, the hotels, the rental car companies, the vendors, they all got a much needed summer time festival.


And then he went on to the Bridgestone sponsored World Golf Championship at Firestone. Where he won the event, again.


Bridgestone, the WGC at Firestone title sponsor, put the icing on the cake by announcing they are staying in the game.

Tiger Woods in also playing in the Fed Ex Cup playoffs. He committed to the Barclays, the first in the four-event run and the first time Woods started off at the beginning.

Bottom line. For a guy returning from major surgery, and adjusting to a new swing because of the change in his body and pain reactions, I think this year has been a very successful one for Mr. Woods.

TV RATINGS = AD DOLLARS = BIG PURSES = TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMY

Whether you love or hate Tiger Woods, and there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground, he has made the world a much easier place for a lot of people to earn a very nice living in the game of golf.  You can’t take that away from him. You put Tiger Woods on the cover of anything, and it sells.  Just like Princess Diana. Heck, they were selling magazine 8 years after she died, just by putting her picture on the cover.

Why isn’t he as sociable as other players? It’s tough being someone everyone wants a piece of. If you reach out and touch people, they touch you back. They take a little something while giving. That giving isn’t always love and affection. Some poser who appears to be a supporter, turns out to be a rude, obnoxious, negative person who just wants to pass on that “hate” to Woods right before his round. Why would anyone want to take the chance of being infected with that kind of energy right before doing anything in life, much less head into a round of golf with a bunch of guys who would really like to take you down themselves.

MAKENA THE PERFECT VACATION RETREAT


We had a wonderful three day weekend at Makena staying in the Maui Prince Hotel.  It’s the best of all worlds.


Yup, you’re at the end of the road, but not the end of some dirt track. It’s at the end of the beautiful Wailea coast parkway. You’ve got the opulent and “shopping center” style Shops at Wailea 5 minutes away on one side of you and the Makena State Park on the other side of your hotel.  The beauty of Hawaii’s best scenery and the convenience of an evening run for “essentials”. If you’re the type without the need for an escape route, then you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your hotel.


The Maui Prince Hotel has everything right on property. The best dining at Hakone Sushi Bar, where they’ll make you “personalized” rolls to suit your desires at that moment. The atmosphere was very relaxed, with parties at each table. Perfect luxury.


The snorkeling in front of the Maui Prince Hotel is right next to Molokini. The locals say you’ll find more fishes off the hotel than the atoll. There are turtles everywhere.


And for the stand up paddle boarder in you, there isn’t a better place to learn the sport than right at the Maui Prince Hotel. Spend a weekend getting your balance and stroke and return home looking like you’ve been doing it your whole life.

Speaking of strokes, whether you want to play tennis or golf, or both, there is the entrance to the Makena Tennis and Golf Club across the street.


If you haven’t played Makena, you really need to put it on your list.


I wanted to get a 7 iron fitted for me and Titleists Neal Takara took excellent care of me. Neal checked out my swing, gave me a couple of options. I bought the option I thought best suited my needs and it was shipped to my home at no expense. How easy was that.

Had a great show on Saturday with Kirk Nelson, PGA and the Director of Golf Erik Johnson.


By the way, if you don’t spend a night unless you know how well you’ll sleep. I slept great and I need a good bed to get a good night sleep.

2009 KA’ANAPALI PRO-PRO CHAMPIONSHIP


It’s a good day when the golf gods smile on you. After years of leaving you the bridesmaid, standing in second place, you are finally standing there holding the check. That’s what happened for the Makena Golf and Tennis Resort team of Brian Sasada and Kirk Nelson in the 2009 Ka’anapali Pro-Pro Championship at Ka’anapali Golf Club. The Pro-Pro is best ball tournament featuring the top PGA professionals in Hawaii. It wasn’t a walk in the park for Sasada and Nelson. The winds picked up and only three teams shot under par with nine teams finishing with a two-day total of 141.  

As Ka’anapali’s Melissa Ludwig tells the story:

“It all came down to the par 4 18th hole. With the wind at their back, both of them had decent drives, but Sasada took too much club on his approach and ended up in the bunker behind the green with a downhill lie.  You would think that Nelson would then play it safe and aim left of the flag (water on right), but he went for it and ended up just shy of the hazard on the right side of the green.

As they walked up to the 18th green, Nelson says to Sasada, “Okay, Saussie, make the shot of your life.” And boy did he ever.  Brian standing on the downhill lie scoops the ball up; the ball bounces once, hits the flag and lands it two feet from the hole. It was a shot to remember. Nelson added, “He did it, Saussie made that shot and saved us.”  


While “Saussie” was making the shot of his life, the team of Glenn Tamagawa of Wailua Golf Shop and Tom Freestone of Princeville Makai were “hoping” he wouldn’t, which would have sent them into a playoff. They posted the low score of the day, a 68. That was after their 65 on the first day.

Freestone added, “These two courses were great fun to play – the greens were in perfect shape.”  This pairing posted a birdie on 18 – both with good drives.  Glenn’s approach shot was just on the fringe of the green and Tom came up short, after much deliberation on club selection with his partner.  Tamagawa, with a smooth stroke, sank his 20-foot fringe putt to put them in the running for the top finish. Unfortunately it was not enough to outmatch team Sasada and Nelson.


Ka’anapali’s PGA General Manager commented about the day, “I like the team approach to this event – I think it adds to the camaraderie aspect of tournament play.” He adds, “Ka’anapali has over 45 years of tournament history and it is a great experience for the guys across the state to be able to play on the fairways where legends like Palmer, Nicklaus, Watson and Player have tested their skills as well.”

USGA WOMEN’S AMATEUR


Hawaii was well represented at the USGA U.S. Women's Amateur.
Three Hawaii players including Cassy Isagawa of Maui, Kimberly Kim of Pahoa from the Big Island, and Stephanie Kono of Honolulu were all in the mix.


Isagawa and Kim made it to the round of 64 before being eliminated in match play.


Stephanie Kono fought hard into the quarterfinals before going down 2 and 1 to eventual champion Jennifer Song.

WESTERN AMATEUR
 
On the boys side, former Kaimuki High School's Chan Kim made it to the sweet 16 at the Western Amateur. And you can find him in this week's issue of Golfweek. 19-year-old Kim won the 43rd Pacific Coast Amateur Championship by a shot on July 31st in scorching Tuscon Arizona. Kim finished one ahead of Zach Sucher and two ahead of Mark Anderson, both Walker Cup hopefuls. Kim's final score was 17-under 271. Kim is the first Hawaii player to win the event and the first from Arizona since Bill Mayfair won back in the late 80's. Kim now attends Arizona State.  

OAHU COUNTRY CLUB MEN’S INVITATIONAL


The 46th annual Oahu Country Club Men’s Invitational gave us the most outstanding champion. Standing out from the crowd by winning the event by 13 strokes, Lorens Chan. A sophomore at Iolani School already had a seven shot lead when he started the final round on Saturday. He had a couple of bogeys, but more than made up for them with the 8 birdies for a final round of 66.  As we continue to follow the youngest ever to win events, Lorens beat Tadd Fujikawa on that front by a few months. Fujikawa won in 2006.  Ryan Perez, who has been on a winning streak this summer, came in second.

In team scores, Kop Distributors took team title.  Teams scores were added up over the first 36 holes of the event. Representing Kop Distributors was Brandan Kop, Lorens Chan, Jonathan Ota, Layne Morita and Scott Ichimura.


Their team score of 577 easily out scored OCC Team #1. The best four scores of the five players were taken to establish the team score each day.


The senior title was also determined after 36 holes. Phil Anamizu captured the Senior title firing rounds of 70-76 for a 146 total, good for a five-stroke victory over former Senior Champion and Kauai resident George Yamamoto. George had round of 76-75--151.

The 36-hole cut was made to the low thirty players and ties (open flight and senior flight) at a score of 156 and lower.

STATE MATCH PLAY – WOMENS CHAMPIONSHIPS

11-year-old Allisen Corpuz, who starts sixth grade at Punahou the end of the month, became the youngest Hawaii State Women's Match Play champion. She beat Punahou freshman Kacie Komoto, 2 and 1, at Oahu Country Club.
Corpuz is the third 11-year-old to win the title in the last nine years. Stephanie Kono captured it in 2001 and her record was broken by Cyd Okino four years later. Corpuz, whose birthday was in March, is four months younger than Okino. Corpuz never trailed, winning the first and third holes with birdie.

Komoto, the 14-year-old Hawaii State Stroke Play Champion, got one back with birdie at No. 9 and finally caught Corpuz on the 13th. But Komoto bogeyed the 15th and Corpuz sank a five-foot birdie putt on the 17th to finish.

It was the third consecutive match Corpuz won with a birdie putt on the 17th. A week before, she won her third U.S. Kids Golf Championship in four years by birdieing the final hole to force a playoff, then birdieing the fourth extra hole to win.
In May, Corpuz nearly won the first Hawaii women's major of the year, leading the Jennie K. until Kristina Merkle caught her on the final few holes

The defending State Women's Match Play champion Cyd Okino played reigning State Women's Stroke Play champion Komoto after both won first-round matches at rainy Oahu Country Club.

On her loss to Komoto, Okino: “Today, I had a match play round. I was 7 under after 10 and 1 up going into the last hole. I hit O.B on 18 and had to go extra holes. I ended up losing on the 19th hole. My putting kind of died on the back nine. What’s more, I wasn’t even playing bad. I shot like 5 under total.” That’s match play for you.

US ARMY HAWAII AMATEUR INVITATIONAL


Ryan Perez won the 2009 U.S. Army Hawaii Amateur Invitational Golf Tournament at Leilehua Golf Course after closing with a 2-under par 70 and a tournament total of 7-under par 209 (66-73-70) for the wire-to-wire win.


Frank Marcus 71--214 and Spencer Shishido 69-214 were the runner ups with tournament total scores of 2-under par 214's respectively. Shishido was second last year.


The Army Invitational, which traces its roots back to 1957, is played at Leilehua. Let’s hope it stays open. It’s a beautiful course, but the Army is considering the financial question of keeping it open. University of Oregon junior Sean Maekawa came in third and 2005 champion Matthew Ma finished 4th

HANK HANEY INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR GOLFACADEMY
Alessandro Fossati, an Italian who graduated from the Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy in South Carolina, will play for Hawaii Pacific's golf team this season, the school announced. Fossati won the International Junior Golf Tour's Champions Gate International and the Des Iles Borromees Junior in Italy this summer. The Sea Warriors return all but one golfer from last year, including PacWest Newcomer of the Year Connor Rumpf and second-team all-PacWest Adam Istvan.

EDDIE HOGAN TEAM MATCHES

Team Hawaii took 2nd place at the 2009 Eddie Hogan Cup, played August 15-16 at the Riverside Golf & Country Club.  Team Hawaii consisted of Justin Keiley (Haiku), Brett Komoto (Honolulu), Bradley Shigezawa (Honolulu) and Tommy Yamashita (Kapolei).  


Here’s a link to the individual competition results:
http://www.oga.org/docs/HoganCup/09IndividualResults.htm

The Hogan Cup is an annual 36-hole, team match, which brings together the Western United States and Canada’s top junior competitors.  Selection to the Eddie Hogan Cup team is considered an honor considering its small field size.  

ALOHA SECTION PGA FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

The Aloha Section PGA Foundation awarded six Senior High School Scholar Athletes and four Aloha Section PGA Apprentices scholarships.


Zakry Akagi-Bustin Leilehua / Creighton University
Dayna Bersamin Baldwin / UH - Hilo
Natasha Fong Aiea / UH - Manoa
Anna Jang Punahou / Princeton University
Henry Park Kealakehe / UH - Manoa
Hayley Young Mid-Pacific / Boise State
 
 Each recipient was awarded $2,000 each. Winners were selected based on academic excellence, involvement in the game of golf, community involvement amongst other criteria.
 
The Aloha Section PGA thanks the folks at AIG Hawaii and the Hawaii Golf Course Superintendents Association (HGCSA) for their support of this scholarship program.

 HAWAII GOLF SENIOR OPEN
 
Mark Morrison sealed the Hawaii Golf Senior Open at Waikele Country Club after firing a final round of even-par 72. Morrison's total score was 3-under par 141 (69-72) and he earned $1,100 for the win. Thank you to Norm Guenther, Hawaii Golf, for making the Hawaii Golf Senior Open happen.

CALLAWAY GOLF PGA ASSISTANT CHAMPIONSHIP
The Aloha Section PGA announces the final results of the Callaway Golf PGA Assistant Championship at Ko Olina Golf Club.  Eric Dugas of Kuki'o Golf & Beach Club shot a seven-under-par two-day total of 66-71 and a 7-stroke win over Regan Lee (73-71-144) of Pearl Country Club.  Dugas and Lee earned the two (2) spots representing the Aloha Section in the 2009 Callaway Golf PGA Assistant Championship to be held October 1-4, 2009 at The PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Chris Koch (72-75-147) of Ko Olina Golf Club and Will Coelho (71-76-147) came in tied for third.  There were thirty island professionals entered into this year's championship.  Dugas will receive round trip airfare courtesy of Callaway Golf and Regan Lee courtesy of Continental Airlines for the national event.

The 2009 National Callaway Golf PGA Assistant Championship will be host to a 120-man field consisting of the 2008 Champion and 119 assistant professionals from a weighted average of total entries of the 41 PGA Sections.  The winner of this Championship earns $9,000 out of the purse of $100,000.

PEARL COUNTRY CLUB HOSTS SENIOR AMATEUR QUALIFIER

The 2009 USGA Senior Amateur Qualifier took place today at Pearl Country Club. This was an 18-hole stroke event in which one qualifier advances to USGA Senior Amateur Championship from September 12-17 2009, at Beverly Country Club, Chicago Illinois. With a field of 13, Shigeru Matsui from Honolulu finished the round with a score of 72 (35-37). Paul Kimura will act as the first alternate to the Championship with a score of 73 (37-36), and Peter Olson as second alternate with a score of 76 (38-38). Congratulations to all who participated and much Mahalo to Pearl Country Club.

MCGLADREY TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP


PGA Professional Travis Joerger teamed with Troy Higashiyama, Darrell Izumi and Bronson Maluenda, representing Ko Olina Golf Club, to post an 11-under-par 133 and win the Aloha Section PGA Team Championship at Kahili Golf Course. The team earned a berth in the 2009 McGladrey Team National Championship.

The Ko Olina team won by three shots over two teams from Ka'anapali Golf Resort. Sutee Nitakorn and amateurs Marc Casperino, Jay Habel and Brody Long came in second through a match of cards. Ed Kageyama and amateurs Richard Armijo, Eric Emmel and Dillon Soldwisch were third.
There were eight teams in the Section Championship.
The Ko Olina team will play against 40 other qualifiers Oct. 26 to 28 at Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort in a best-ball championship managed by PGA of America. PGA Professionals and amateurs compete for a combined purse of $13,800 at the Section Championship and $200,000 at the National Championship.

MESSAGE TO OUR YOUNG PLAYERS

Japanese schoolboy Ryo Ishikawa's dream came true when he made the cut at the U.S. PGA Championship but he said he needed to raise his game several notches to shine at the highest level. The 17-year-old professional, one of the biggest sporting celebrities in his homeland, has missed four cuts in six starts on the 2009 PGA Tour and has been stunned by the depth in quality on the U.S. circuit.

"Every time I have come over to the States this year the fields have been very deep and very strong," Ishikawa told Reuters after carding a four-over 76 in Saturday's third round for an eight-over total of 224.

"That has been the one thing that has impressed me most of all. Here I played well for the first two rounds and felt I should have easily made the cut.

"I was playing to 90 percent of my ability so I was shocked," said the teenage sensation, having made the cut right on the number at Hazeltine National.


"This made me think my golf level is still low compared to the PGA Tour."
The youngest player to compete in a PGA Championship, Ishikawa opened with consecutive 74s and then survived an anxious wait before advancing to the weekend.

"After I finished my second round I wasn't sure I would make the cut so I went back to the hotel and just prayed," Ishikawa said, speaking through an interpreter.

GOLF IN THE OLYMPICS

You’ll never guess which country is happiest about getting not just golf but rugby sevens included in the Olympics in 2016.

Fiji. Fiji is a world power and gold medal prospect in the seven-a-side rugby.  Fuji also plans on calling upon Vijay Singh to lead its golf team if the International Olympic committee approves its inclusion at the meeting in Copenhagen in October.

Singh, who was born in the Fijian town of Lautoka, will be 53 in 2016. He won the 2000 Masters and the US PGA Championship in 1998 and 2004.

"We have been talking to Singh about his availability if the sport is allowed to be played, and he had already given us his undertaking that he will represent Fiji," Fiji National Golf Association secretary Mosese Waqavonovono said Saturday.
"Now that the decision has been made, we believe with Singh leading our campaign we have a good chance of winning a medal."

It’s about time I thanked Gigi at Permanent Elegance, Deb and Sharon Namahoe at Avance Salon, and all the wonderful people who help make “The Golf Club” possible, including CALLAWAY GOLF for the golf balls we give away on the radio show every Saturday morning. You can listen on the radio or on line and that information is at http://www.radiogolfclub.com.

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

Aloha,
Danielle

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