While we catch our collective golf breath after the ridiculously low — and PGA Tour record — scores at last week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, the Champions Tour tees off its 2017 season today with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
HSWGA schedules Spring Fling
The Hawaii State Women’s Golf Association general membership meeting follows its 2017 Spring Fling Tournament, Feb. 27 at Kaneohe Klipper.
Tournament format is two better ball, with four-person teams. Golfers must have handicap indexes of 32.9 or less (36 handicap at Klipper).
Golfers must be HSWGA members. Cost is $79 for civilians and $71 for military. Entry deadline is Feb. 1.
Entry forms are available at hswga.net. Email gcomori@hawaiiantel.net for more information.
Locally, last year’s most compelling golf stories have already extended into 2017. Manoa Cup champion Brent Grant was one of six Hawaii golfers playing at Waialae Country Club last week, with former Manoa Cup champ Jared Sawada the only one to make the cut.
The last time we had more than six in the Sony field was 2004 and 2005, when Michelle Wie was part of the pack.
A month before winning Sony’s amateur exemption, Grant, pondering a professional career, captured the Turtle Bay Open title. A second-round 63 lifted him to 10-stroke victory — over the first professionals to play in the event. Grant also won two college tournaments and qualified for the U.S. Amateur.
Turtle Bay joined in the wave of women’s debuts in local tournaments. Alanis Sakuma, heading to Ohio State in the fall, took the inaugural title on the North Shore. Mari Nishiura, now playing for Nevada, won the first Manoa Cup women’s championship, in the state amateur match-play event’s 108th year.
Miki Manta was the first female to capture a State Amateur Stroke Play women’s title after the Hawaii State Women’s Golf Association closed its state championships to non-members.
Seven Hawaii State Junior Golf Association alums proved they were about much more than golf in college. Rose Huang (BYU), Andi Igawa (Hawaii Hilo), Keilyn Ing (Portland State, now at Santa Clara), Kirsten Ishikawa (Eastern Washington), Kristen Le (Santa Clara), Kimberlie Miyamoto (Eastern Washington) and Nani Yanagi (Washington State) were named Women’s Collegiate Golf All-American Scholars.
Up in Manoa, Skye Inakoshi became the first Rainbow Warrior to win Hawaii’s John A. Burns Intercollegiate, in the tournament’s 40th year.
2016 HAWAII GOLF CHAMPIONS
JANUARY
Hyundai Tournament of Champions (Jordan Spieth)
Acura Hawaii Pro-Junior Skills Challenge (Kyle Suppa and Jimmy Walker)
Sony Open in Hawaii (Fabian Gomez)
Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai (Duffy Waldorf)
FEBRUARY
25th annual Amer Ari Intercollegiate (No. 7 USC and Aaron Wise, Oregon)
40th annual John A. Burns Intercollegiate (No. 8 Texas and co-medalists Skye Inakoshi, Hawaii, Beau Hossler and Gavin Hall, Texas, and K.K. Limbhasut, Cal)
Ninth annual HSGA Four Ball (Andy Okita and Justin Taparra)
MARCH
Hawaii State Stroke Play Championship (Kyle Suppa; Women—Miki Manta; Mid-Amateur—Kensuke Morinaka; Senior—Phil Anamizu; Senior Women—Mira Han)
Aloha Section PGA Assistants Four Ball (Todd Rego and Kevin Shimomura)
31st annual Donnis Thompson Invitational (No. 10 Oklahoma State and Thanya Pattamakijsak, Texas A&M)
APRIL
Big Island Candies Team Championship (Juan Rodriguez and Kris Kitt)
HSWGA Member Match Play Championship (Jeannie Pak; A Flight—Val Vares)
LPGA Lotte Championship (Minjee Lee)
58th Mid-Pacific Open (Parker McLachlin)
Big West Women’s Championship at Kapalua Bay (UC Riverside and Paige Lee, UC Davis)
OIA Championships (Girls—Miki Manta, Kalani; Boys—Jun Ho Won, Moanalua)
ILH Championships (Girls—Mariel Galdiano, Punahou; Boys—Andrew Chin)
BIIF Championships (Girls—Andi Igawa, Waiakea; Boys—Trevor Hirata, Waiakea)
65th Francis Brown Four Ball (Kyosuke Hara and Kyle Suppa)
MAY
David S. Ishii Foundation Hawaii State Girls High School Championship (Punahou and Allisen Corpuz, Punahou)
David S. Ishii Foundation Hawaii State Boys High School Championship (Moanalua and Shawn Lu, Moanalua)
66th Jennie K. Wilson Invitational (Kaira Naibeshima)
Hickam Invitational (Kyle Suppa)
U.S. Women’s Open Sectional Qualifier (Allisen Corpuz)
JUNE
ASPGA Pro-Pro Championship (Alex Chiarella and Alex Omer)
HSJGA King Auto 12-under State Junior Championship (Girls—Raya Nakao, 7-10, and Summer Wong, 11-12; Boys—Taiki Marsh, 7-10, and Joshua Chung, 11-12)
108th Manoa Cup (Brent Grant; Women—Mari Nishiura)
HSJGA King Auto 13-18 State Junior Championship (Boys—Evan Kawai,15-18, and Davis Lee, 13-14; Girls—Allysha Mae Mateo, 15-18, and Karissa Kilby,13-14)
39th annual Pua Melia (Cathy Watanabe; Low Net—Jacqueline Shirai)
Second annual Pearl Invitational (TJ Kua; Low Amateur—Jun Ho Won)
U.S. Girls and Boys Junior Amateur qualifiers (Girls—Malia Nam, Mari Nishiura, Claire Choi; Boys—Shon Katahira, Zachary Kaneshiro)
JULY
U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifier (Rose Huang and Zoey Akagi-Bustin)
Barbers Point Invitational (Tyler Ota)
U.S. Senior Open Sectional Qualifier (Kevin Hayashi)
60th Waialae Women’s Invitational (Kristin Le; Low Net—Bev Kim)
Nike Golf Four Ball (Jared Sawada and Nainoa Calip)
Seventh annual Dave and Busters Jr. Classic (13-14—Jaeeun Park and Jake Sequin; 15-18—Miki Manta and Remington Hirano)
U.S. Amateur Qualifier (Brent Grant)
Koolau Challenge (Dalen Yamauchi*)
OJGA Pearl Junior Open (15-18—Aj Teraoka and Isabelle Won; 13-14—Jake Sequin and Kelsey Ota; 11-12—Joshua Chung and Rachael Wang; 10-under— Taiki Marsh and Sydney Papke)
AUGUST
Army Invitational (Donny Hoopoi)
HSJGA Mixed Team Championship (Allysha Mae Mateo and Aj Teraoka)
U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifier (Shaun Downie)
National Car Rental Assistant Championship (Brandon Nahale)
53rd annual Oahu Country Club Men’s Invitational (Jun Ho Won; Seniors—Brandan Kop)
Oahu Country Club Women’s Invitational (Kristin Le)
Ka‘anapali HSJGA Match Play Championship (Girls—Claire Choi; Boys—Shon Katahira, 15-18, and Davis Lee, 13-14)
Senior SPC/Senior Championship (Kevin Hayashi)
U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship Qualifier (Shaun Downie)
U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifier (Kiyohito Dezaki, Kevin Hayes)
U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Qualifier (Lisa Judge)
SEPTEMBER
Kauai Amateur (Dalen Yamauchi)
Mayor’s Cup (Tyler Ota)
Aloha Section PGA Professional Championship (Kevin Hayashi)
HSWGA Senior Championship (Mira Jang; Low Net—Kula Akiu)
OCTOBER
H2 Invitational (Tyler Isono and Chad Umetsu)
HSWGA Member Stroke Play Championship (Patty Schremmer)
14th Turtle Bay Open (Brent Grant; Low Pro—Nainoa Calip; Women—Alanis Sakuma)
Dennis Rose Women’s Intercollegiate (Academy of Art and Paige Kemp, Stetson)
Nanea Pac-12 Preview (Arizona State and Robynn Ree, USC)
Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational (Mississippi and Braden Thornberry, Mississippi)
NOVEMBER
Rainbow Wahine Invitational (Sacramento State and Julia Becker, Sacramento State)
Ka‘anapali Collegiate Classic Invitational (Clemson and Doc Redman, Clemson)
10th annual HSJGA Asia-Pacific Junior Cup (Japan 22.5, Hawaii 9.5)
44th Gov. John Burns Challenge Cup (Pros 13.5, Amateurs 10.5)
Sony Open in Hawaii Amateur Qualifier (Brent Grant)
E-Z Go Facility Team Championship (Nanea—Kris Kitt and Juan Rodriguez)
2017 USGA Four-Ball qualifier (Justin Arcano and Justin Ngan)
DECEMBER
Michelle Wie HSJGA Tournament of Champions (Boys—Justin Arcano, 15-18; Davis Lee, 13-14; Joshua Chung, 11-12; Taiki Marsh, 7-10; Girls—Claire Choi, 15-18; Lana Calibuso-Kwee, 13-14; Rachael Wang, 11-12; Raya Nakao, 7-10)
Mauna Lani Resort Hawaii State Open (TJ Kua; Women—Nicole Sakamoto; Amateur—Andrew Chin; Senior—Tom Sovay; Senior Amateur—Jonathan Ota; A Flight—David Budway)
