MICHELLE WIE, CASSY ISAGAWA AND THE RYDER CUP 

By the time you are reading this, the Ryder Cup will be in progress or we’ll already know which team walked away with the Ryder Cup trophy you see in Corey Pavin’s hands in the picture above. He had it on the plane from the East Coast because the US team is the defending champion. But we’ve got our hands full this year. The US is playing against a strong European team on a home course, a tough links style course in Wales and a victory will be hard fought and certainly not a cakewalk.

By that time you read this, we’ll also know how Jim Furyk did on the Ryder Cup team.

And we’ll also know who won the Junior Ryder Cup and how Hawaii’s Cassy Isagawa did on the team. (I have to get this piece written because I’m way past my deadline and my patient publisher understands but needs this piece to post on time!)

JUNIOR RYDER CUP

Cassy Isagawa from Wailuku on Maui got the treat of her life this year – a chance to play at Gleneagles in Scotland as part of the USA Junior Ryder Cup team.

Isagawa accomplished that by being the top finisher at the Junior PGA Championship held on the Mainland. Isagawa beat all of the qualifiers from around the United States to earn her place on the Junior Ryder Cup team.

Isagawa got to the Junior PGA Championship by getting through all the competition in the Hawaii qualifier against all of the local junior golfers. She got into the Junior Ryder Cup USA Team by winning the PGA Junior Championship in an exciting three-hole play-off at Sycamore Hills CC in Indiana.
Cassy joins some of the nations top juniors, including Jordan Speith (2009 US Junior Amateur Champion) and the team also includes Jim Liu of Smithtown, N.Y., and Doris Chen of Bradenton, Fla., champions of the 2010 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2010 U.S. Girls Championship, respectively. Liu, 14, is the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champion in the event's history.

SBS CHAMPIONSHIP

The SBS Championship brings the winners of all the PGA Tour events to Kapalua on Maui to start the 2011 PGA Tour season on the Plantation course. It’s the cherry on the cake when you win a PGA Tour event. “I’m going to Kapalua!” is the refrain you hear from the champions, and their significant others.

This year, the folks at the Kapalua Resort are pulling out all the stops to make this coming 2011 SBS Championship one of the best events ever at Kapalua, for the players and the spectators.

The SBS Championship will be FREE for all spectators on all days.
Yes. No charge. That means you’ll be able to see the top players from around the world right here in Hawaii free. Even on the weekend.

Jim Furyk is a frequent visitor to the islands. He’s a fan and  Furyk could be counted on at the Grand Slam of Golf when it was played at Poipu Bay Golf Course and to the SBS Championship at Kapalua’s Plantation course.

Furyk can be here again this year after winning the Tour Championship at East Lake and the $10 million dollar prize…the FedExCup.

Furyk, who owned a home on Maui, said if he didn’t play well on the Ryder Cup team it wasn’t because he was tired from the FedExCup playoff.

MP3 Audio: Click here to listen to Jim Furyk, the 2010 FexExCup Champion
(Click Jim Furyk link. Audio player will open in a new window. Close window when finished listening.)

MICHELLE WIE…ALMOST BACK TO BACK

Some say Michelle Wie could be the one to save golf.
Not the LPGA Tour golf. All golf Tours golf.
Save the casual fan interest in the game of golf shown on television.  

We are talking about saving golf from the point of view of revenue. Talking about the income that the golf industry has become accustomed to generating during the era of Tiger Woods.

Don’t misunderstand me. Tiger Woods is still a huge draw. Before he was picked by Corey Pavin to be on the Ryder Cup team, ticket sales were lackluster at Celtic Manor in Wales. Once Pavin picked Woods, the sales went through the roof.

But with his game out of sync, it may only be a matter of time before watching Woods fail to win becomes less of a draw.

That’s when those in the golf media start talking about Wie being the person who can take Woods’ place, if she begins to dominate on the LPGA Tour. We were feeling it in September.

For the time being, Wie is still pursuing her degree at Sanford and playing when her schedule permits.

Her next announced event is in Dubai in December. The sponsor light environment works to Wie’s advantage. She probably wouldn’t want to play that many events with her scholastic schedule and there aren’t that many to play. Only about 10 tournaments in the United States this year.

So far both of her wins have come on foreign soil. Her first in Mexico, her second in Canada and she almost made her third in Arkansas. Close but no trophy. She had to settle for second place.

Michelle Wie had the lead at the P&G NW Arkansas Championship from start to the just about the finish of the fourth round but Taiwan’s Yani Tseng was playing lights out.  She must have just finished reading Vision54 and was visualizing birdies the whole round because it seemed she couldn’t miss.

Good news comes this month with Kia Motors, one of Michelle Wie’s sponsors, announcing a two-year extension of their Kia Classic. The second-year tournament will move to Industry Hills Golf Club next March. “It's always great to be back here in Southern California,” said Wie, who is currently enrolled further north at Stanford University.

ASIA PACIFIC JUNIOR CUP PREP

The Hawaii State Junior Golf Association put on the 2010 Mixed Team Championship at Kauai Lagoons Golf Club. 


It was another beautiful day with light trade winds that gradually grew stronger into the afternoon.  Besides a minor bee sting on the first tee, no other injuries were reported.    



In a 3-hole playoff, the team of Cyd Okino (Honolulu) and Scott Yamashita (Kapolei) won the Championship over Cassy Isagawa (Wailuku) and Andre Bedard (Kihei).  



The Mixed Team Championship consists of two person teams consisting of one boy and one girl from the 13 – 18 age division.  The first round was played using Four-Ball Stroke Play and the second was Foursome Stroke Play.

The Mixed Team Championship helped prepare Hawaii Team members compete in a similar Ryder Cup format event being played against the top junior golfers from Japan later this year during the fourth annual Asia Pacific Junior Cup (former USA Hawaii Japan Junior Cup) happening November 11-14 at the Waikoloa Kings’ Course on the Big Island.


JUNIOR GOLF CHAMPS

Take a good look at these junior golfers in the upcoming stories. They could become front-page faces in the golf section.

The Hawaii State Junior Golf Association (HSJGA) has put on its Maui Junior Tour Series (JTS) event of the year at the Kahili Golf Course on Maui this weekend, September 25-26.  Despite the strong prevailing NE trade winds, low scores prevailed in this weekend’s competition on Maui. 

Earlier in September the HSJGA held it’s All Ages Junior Tour Series – Kauai at Puakea Golf Course.

Heavy morning showers did not prevent these juniors from teeing off on time.  By the late morning the skies cleared with a moderate breeze from the North.  Wind and soft turf made for a long golf course.

FIRST TEE

Congratulations to Ryan Kuroiwa of Aiea who played in the First Tee Open at Pebble Beach Resort in Pebble Beach, California. Kuroiwa got the HSJGA exemption to participate in the 2010 Homecare and Hospice First Tee Open Hawaii because of his outstanding community service, strength of character and he can play good golf. Ryan earned a spot to play on the 2010 Boys Junior America’s Cup Team to represent Hawaii in New Mexico.  In 2009, Ryan was a member of the USA Hawaii Japan Junior Cup team and also qualified to the National Optimist International Junior Championships. 

PATRIOT GOLF DAY

With just about 100 percent participation at Hawaii’s golf courses, Hawaii golfers raised a considerable amount of money over the Labor Day weekend. In addition to individual donations from golfers around the State of Hawaii and the rest of the United States, Princeville’s Prince Golf Course hosted its 2nd Annual Patriot Golf Day Benefit Tournament on September 18.

The event was part of a nationwide PGA of America program to benefit the Folds of Honor Foundation, which supports families of soldiers who are disabled or lost their lives in the line of duty. The winning team in the two-person scramble was Mike Ferrell and Steve Marsh, with a net score of 60.

SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

It’s going to be a great tournament again this year. With so many single event winners, the field for the SBS Championship is expected to top 40 and many of them will stay and play at Waialae Country Club in the Sony Open in Hawaii 2011.

Last year, over 140 Hawaii not-for-profit organizations whose mission it is to help children, women, elderly, and the impoverished were assisted by the Sony Open In Hawaii through the 2010 Friends of Hawaii Charities Grant.  Mahalo to Sony Corporation, charity partner The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc., tournament sponsors, and Friends Club members for your contributions in the Drive to $1 Million for Hawaii charities!

Hope you’ll join me in the clubhouse for fun and great golf tips this October.

We’re giving away some beautiful TaylorMade Penta golf balls to the 18th caller.

The winners of our Aloha Team Classic tournament are heading to Maui this month.

They got round trip tickets for two on Go Mokulele, 5 nights at the Outrigger Napili Shores, 6 days in a Hertz or Avis Rent a Car, a round of golf for 2 at the Kaanapali Golf Course plus the opening and closing event tickets for the tournament. LPGA players will be playing with the amateurs who are playing to raise money for Maui youth charities. It’s wonderful.
The Aloha Team Classic at http://www.alohateamclassic.org/

The Golf Club” radio show every Saturday morning at 7 AM on The Jewel, 99.5 FM, on Oahu and on KONI FM 104.7 on Maui and on KTOH 99.9 FM on Kauai and on KPUA AM 670 in Hilo.

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

Danielle