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As golf fans, we’d become so spoiled. There was an element of predictability in this unpredictable world. For 14 years, if Tiger Woods was playing, there was a really good chance he was going to, if not win, at least put on a really good show. That was comforting. There was no question that Woods was going to move up the leaderboard and more often than not win the event. Even if you didn’t like Woods, his appearance guaranteed a good television audience, a strong fan base, and a healthy golf economy. That’s been missing from golf since Woods’ life and game disintegrated.
During the 2011 US Open at Congressional Country Club, regardless of whether the conditions were tough enough, it was wonderful watching McIlroy string together what seemed to be four effortless, almost perfect rounds of golf. There was no disappointment, no disintegrating in front of our eyes. He pulled off what we were hoping for.
Seems we have the makings of another “CLOSER” in Rory McIlroy.
But I also don’t want to get ahead of myself here. Who knows what’ll happen down the road. Golf is that kind of game.
You’ve heard all the accolades by now about Rory McIlroy winning the 2011 111th US Open played at Congressional Country Club, proving he had successfully recovered from his meltdown at the Masters earlier this year. In the process he broke records and is being heralded as the next Tiger Woods. We’ll see.
What is it about the little country of Ireland that is producing such great golfers? It’s not like Hawaii with beautiful weather 365 days a year.
Last year’s US Open champion Graeme McDowell, from Ireland, talked about his country after saying how proud he was of his defense at the US Open and Rory McIlroy’s win.
I would like to add I couldn’t agree more with everyone who notes how nice it is to have an approachable champion. Rory McIlroy is approachable in the sense that he is polite with the media, happy to thrill the fans and straightforward and honest with answers he gives the press.
Tiger Woods was a fairly animated human being at the beginning of his ascent to the top of the ladder in the world of golf and sport in general. After getting burned a couple of times by the relentless scrutiny of the media, Tiger began building walls to protect himself from the criticism.
Let’s see if the media has learned to give a “kid” a little wiggle room to make a mistake, or if the glare of the klieg lights will burn out another smiling, happy person. I hope the media has learned and that Rory will always be Rory.
I do believe McIlroy stands a better chance than Woods. Rory’s father seems to be a less driven individual who isn’t living his life through his son. But that’s another sidebar I don’t want to go down.
Will McIlroy play in the US on the PGA Tour more often in light of his “new found” celebrity? I don’t think it’ll be in the near future. The pressure put on a player in the United States to perform up to our expectations on a regular basis sucks the air out of athletes, makes the game work instead of fun, and changes a person. I think the people around McIlroy, and Rory himself, recognize he’s plenty loved at home and the it’s unconditional.
RYO ISHIKAWA
Ryo Ishikawa had an okay US Open. He made the cut, which is more than a lot of great players can say. Ishikawa has not won an event this year. That maybe in part because of the devastating earthquake and tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan. He has promised to donate all of his income from prize money to the Japan disaster victims this year. He earned his first paycheck at the US Open.
HOW ABOUT YOUNG MR PATRICK CANTLAY!!!!
Patrick Cantlay is just finishing his freshman year at UCLA. He won as low amateur at the 111th US Open at Congressional. What a year he is having and it’s just half over.
THE 103rd MANOA CUP CHAMPION – DAVID FINK
David Fink became one of the few to successfully defend the Manoa Cup Match Play Championship Father’s Day weekend. If he hadn’t, John Oda would have become the youngest Manoa Cup champion. Oda is a 15-year old Moanalua High School golfer. Fink played for Iolani High School before heading to Oregon State where he is a red-shirt sophomore.
The last back-to-back champion was Brandon Kop. He did it 13 years ago in 1998.
It was looking a bit dicey for Fink at the beginning of the 36-hole match, up and down the hills of Nuuanu Valley at the prestigious Oahu Country Club. Through the first six holes, he was down three, but parred holes 7 and 8 and birdied the 9th to get to even. By the 17th, he took the lead and didn’t lose it finishing 2 & 1 over Oda. No cakewalk but a beautiful victory with amazing shots.
The Honolulu Star Advertiser’s senior golf writer, Ann Miller, wrote:
“Oda, the youngest finalist in history, was 3 up after five holes and clearly not overwhelmed by the moment. Fink, his game lacking the spectacular flourish of a year ago, was simply tenacious. He rallied to square the match by the time they made the first turn, then won the 17th and 18th to take a 2-up advantage and good karma into the break.
Fink won the first two holes in the afternoon and pushed his advantage to 5 up when he hit his tee shot on the par-3 seventh (25th hole) to 2 feet.
Then Oda, with a swing built for accuracy and a touch far beyond his years, battled back. He one-putted six of the next eight greens, birdieing three and cutting his deficit to two.
For fun, and maybe to chase some of the nervousness he swore he never felt, he ran up the steepest part of No. 13.
"Really I wasn't (nervous)," said Oda, whose only regret was not being more aggressive around the greens. "My new thing is that golf is just a game. There's no reason to get nervous."
Fink, who will be a sophomore on the Oregon State team in the fall, was more than up to Oda's relentless challenge. The OCC member did not drain putts from all over his club's warp-speed greens the way he did last year, but he converted every putt he had to have all week.
He won four of his six matches by a tenuous 1-up score. The final must have felt like a blowout.
"I won with my mental game this year, just staying in it, one shot at a time," Fink said. "Last year was really a physical win. I was really hitting the ball well. This year I had to stay patient because I knew I wasn't hitting it as well. I just had to stick it out."
Meanwhile, in his first Manoa Cup, Oda was rolling through opponents.
He nearly sank a crazy 50-foot birdie putt on the 34th hole that would have tied it. When it scraped the edge instead of falling, the match was dormied. Fink finally sealed it with a two-putt par on the 17th.
"He is just really good," Oda said of Fink.
Oda was, as one spectator described it, "freaking awesome" in his Manoa Cup debut. But Fink is, as Oda put it afterward, "The Man." His comfort level, on his course, in what is now his tournament, is remarkably high. Now his challenge is to translate that success at home to his collegiate career.
Fink has thought about that a lot. In the spring he practiced with the teammate playing best at that time, and kept a match-play score in his head. He set the OSU record for freshman scoring.
Now he is the first to win back-to-back cups since Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer Brandan Kop, who did it in 1997 and '98. Kop says it rarely happens because match play allows so much room for failure and freakish occurrences.
"You can be playing your best and if you are playing a guy at the wrong time it doesn't matter," Kop said. "Match play, anything can happen."
For two years now, Fink has found his way past everything.”
Thank you Ann Miller and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
I underlined the two quotes from the competitors in her article because each is a key all golfers can learn from.
FINAL LPGA “STATE FARM CLASSIC” – YANI TSENG
Mindy Kim was having a great tournament at the last State Farm Classic. It’s the last because State Farm is yet another sponsor not renewing on the LPGA Tour. She was leading but with Yani Tseng close behind, and considering Tseng’s incredibly strong game this year, Kim couldn’t hold her off.
Michelle Wie was also in the field. She finished T12. At the ShopRite LPGA Classic she was T26. As I said last month, here’s to hoping when she has finished her degree at Stanford and is a full time player she’ll live up to all of the expectations laid on her shoulders. For so long, the LPGA has been hoping she would become the break out player to carry the banner for the LPGA.
By the time this is out, Wie will have played in the Wegman LPGA Championship and will be getting ready for the U.S Women’s Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado. The LPGA is in full swing and heading to the UK for the Women’s British Open later in the month. It’s 3 major golf tournaments in 6 weeks. Whoever is peaking is going to take home a couple handsome paychecks.
ALOHA SECTION PGA PRO PRO AT KA’ANAPALI
What an exciting finish. Four teams were tied for the lead going into the final round at the Ka'anapali Pro-Pro Championship. It is two-day, two-person better ball event but on by the Aloha Section PGA and hosted by the Ka'anapali Golf Course. Two Hawaii professionals team up to win the trophy and the $2000 first place check.
The team of TJ Figueroa and Garrett Okamura pulled off the win with their playing competitors breathing down their necks the entire round. That team was Lance Taketa and Kevin Hayashi, both multiple time ASPGA Players of the Year. Hayashi and Taketa took 4th place.
I love how excellent competition forces you to rise to the top.
Ka’anapali’s Melissa Ludwig picks up the action:
“The 3rd hole on the Royal Ka’anapali Course, a par 4 with large greenside bunkers would be the first of Figueroa/Okamura’s birdies for the day. Figueroa: "That one helped to break the ice. It was a good start. I hit my approach to about 12 feet over the flag and had a right edge putt. It was solid - we needed that to get us started"
What was it like playing as a team: Figueroa "Garrett would usually tee off first because he’s so consistent and by consistent I mean he hits it 280 yards and is in the middle of the fairway."
Okamura laughed and said, "Yah, TJ was able to then go for it. He was our bomber."
Figueroa drove the #7 hole, an uphill par 4 playing from 324 yards, landing his ball on the middle of the three tiered green. He barely missed a 40-foot putt for eagle and had an easy tap in putt for birdie.
On the 15th hole, an uphill par 3, Lance Taketa hit a pin seeking shot, setting his team up for a birdie (which he would make). With only three holes left to play, both Figueroa and Okamura attacked the pin. They were both rewarded with shots six feet from the hole. Figueroa would make his putt for their final birdie of the day.
Okamura commented, "Course conditions were great today the greens were flawless." His partner added, "The course was accessible today because there wasn’t too much wind, but you still had to hit quality shots. You can never fall asleep out there, especially with these greens. I don’t think there’s ever a straight putt.
Rohn Stark and John Galarita were the first team back into the clubhouse and finished tied for second (64-67=131). With five birdies and just one bogey, they played a clean round. Stark commented, "We both had plenty of birdie
putt opportunities all day. The greens were really good - fun to play on. We just weren’t able to convert every time, had a few edges burned and lip outs."
Galarita added shaking his head, "I had such a chance on #16 (and missed it) so I’m glad I followed up with a birdie on #17 and then Rohn covered us on #18 with a great up and down for par." On #17, the short par 3 over water,
Galaria hit is 9 iron from 155 yards to about eight feet and knocked it in for the bird. Unfortunately that missed putt on #16 would make them one shot short of the winners’ trophy.
The team of Eliot Gouveia and Mark Seki emerged on the leader board on the second day carding a 65 (-6) to tie Stark and Galarita in second place. Gouveia stated, "Mark got us started with a great par on #18 (shotgun start) and I
was able to follow up with a birdie on the #1 par 5 - I hit driver off the tee and cut the corner a bit to give myself 225 yards to the flag." He continued, "A solid approach shot gave me a 15 foot putt for eagle, but unfortunately I was six inches short. I tapped in for birdie."
Ka’anapali Royal course was designed by Robert Trent Jones.
ADAMS GOLF JUNIOR TOUR QUALIFIER
Three Hawaii State Junior Golf Association members will be playing in the 2011 Adams Junior Tour Championship at Forest Akers Golf Courses at Michigan State University.
There were 69 junior golfers vying for three spots. They competed at Turtle Bay Resort on the Fazio course.
There was one spot awarded for each division:
Boys 15-19: Richard Hattori of Honolulu won in a four-way Score Card Play-Off with CJ Covington, Justin Chu and Reese Suzuki. All scored 74.
Girls 15-19 Monique Ishikawa of Kailua 70
Boys12-14 Taisei Negishi of Hilo 72.
OPTIMIST QUALIFIER AT TURTLE BAY RESORT
Turtle Bay Resort, another huge junior golf supporter, played host to multiple qualifiers in June. Hawaii State Junior Golf Association conducting this one as well, with 108 juniors from across the state playing in the 10/11, 12/13, 14/15, 16/18 age divisions.
A highlight of the event was a hole-in-one by Eimi Koga on the 11th hole of the Fazio Course at Turtle Bay Resort. The Boys 16-18 Division medalist honor went to Blaine Fujimoto after a two-hole play-off was held to decide the four spots in the division as well as the first, second, and third place honors. There were also three other play-offs held for the remaining qualifying spots, which made for an exciting day of golf.
Boys 10-11 Division: 2 qualifying spots
Pono Yanagi – 83, Andrew Otani – 86*
Boys 12-13 Division: 3 qualifying spots
Taisei Negishi – 74, Andrew Chin - 75
Boys 14-15 Division: 2 qualifying spots
Ariel Elftman-Hanson – 71, Richard Hattori – 72*
Boys 16-18 Division: 4 qualifying spots
Blaine Fujimoto – 71*, Zachary Braunthal – 71*, Jonah Fonacier – 71*, Pono Tokioka – 71*
Girls 10-12 Division: 2 qualifying spots
Mari Nishiura – 74, Briana Finau – 81**
Girls 13-14 Division: 2 qualifying spots
Rose Huang – 74, Mariel Gladiano - 75
Girls 15-18 Division: 3 qualifying spots
Eimi Koga – 69, Marissa Chow – 71, Margaret Min – 74
*decided by an on-course play-off
**decided by a score card play-off
The Optimist International Junior Golf Championships will be held at PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on the following dates: Boys 10-11, 12-13, 14-15/Girls 10-12, 13-14 on July 21-26, 2011 and Boys 16-18/Girls 15-18 on July 26-31, 2011. For more information on the Championships, follow this link: http://www.optimist.org/e/juniorgolf/optimist1.cfm
KING AUTO GROUP 12 & UNDER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
The winners, pictured above, included Andrew Chin of Honolulu who won 1st place in a three-hole playoff against Shon Katahiro of Hilo in the Boys 11-12 Division.
Girls 11-12, the winner was Mari Nishiura of Millilani.
In the Boys 7 – 10, Taylor John McGerity of Honolulu won by one stroke over Pono Yanagi of Hilo.
In the Girls 7 – 10, Aneka Seumanutafa of Kapolei won by one stroke over Miki Manta of Honolulu.
2011 NATURE VALLEY FIRST TEE OPEN AT PEBBLE
Hawaii State Junior Golf Association is pleased to announce that Margaret Min, Honolulu, Hawaii, received the HSJGA exemption to participate in the 2011 Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, CA. This most prestigious exemption is awarded to an HSJGA member in good standing between the ages of 15-18 based not only on golf ability, but primarily on community service and strength of character.
Min has been a member of the HSJGA since 2006 and currently carries a 5.4 GHIN handicap. She will be a senior at Punahou School in the fall. The First Tee Open will be conducted from July 8 - 10 at the majestic Pebble Beach Golf Resort in Pebble Beach, CA.
The First Tee Open at Pebble Beach is a 54-hole golf event, the first of its kind, featuring 78 Champions Tour players and 78 junior golfers ages 15-18. In addition to the Champions Tour players and juniors, 156 amateurs complete the field. The First Tee Open at Pebble Beach showcases the talent and character of young people who participate at The First Tee facilities worldwide. An official Champions Tour event, the tournament pairs one junior with a Champions Tour player and two amateurs. Seventy-eight junior spots are awarded – 70 players from two golf and life skills selection events, and eight exemptions distributed by The Monterey Peninsula Foundation, the host organization. The HSJGA was awarded one (1) exemption.
HAWAII STATE JUNIOR GOLF ASSOCIATION
15 years ago, Mary Bea Porter-King spearheaded the move to create a unified junior golf program in Hawaii. It wasn’t an easy undertaking and there were those who fought her efforts. But it has paid off handsomely. Porter-King was on my golf show back in the late 1990’s talking about her goals and her efforts to make the HSJGA what it is today.
Not only do we now have one of the best organized junior golf programs in the United States, look at the numbers of young people who are using their skills on the course to make it to college to further their education and maybe their careers in the game.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/20110622_golf_helps_fuel_their_drive_.html
A GREAT GIFT
If you’re looking for a custom made gift for a friend – whether man or woman – you may like this idea. It comes as a ball marker or a ball mark repair tool or a necklace. They come as sets of three. You choose three different photos or the same one or a logo for clients.
http://thegolfclub.photoballmarker.com/
See you “on top” the radio. (That’s how it’s said in Hawaii.)
Thank you for your Mana and may you hit the sweet spot every time,
Danielle
PS You can hear “The Golf Club” radio show online at http://www.radiogolfclub.com/ or on one of these fine radio stations:
It’s “The Golf Club” show every Saturday morning at 7 AM on KGU FM 99.5 FM and KGU AM 760 AM on Oahu, KONI FM 104.7 on Maui, KTOH 99.9 FM on Kauai and on KPUA AM 670 in Hilo.
