President getting his game on

Rain can be blamed for pushing President Barack Obama from golf to the bowling alley, where his game apparently has improved since his embarrassing 37, with numerous gutter balls, in Pennsylvania during his 2008 campaign.

An alley was installed in the White House by President Harry Truman in 1947 and is frequently in use, according to logs. More recently, Obama reportedly has scored respectably in three figures — around 140 — but the press was not allowed to watch his Thursday performance at a Marine Corps Base Hawaii bowling alley.

On the links: Golf Digest lists Obama’s handicap at 17, which means he is likely to score in the high 80s or low 90s. The president has got it right: three figures in bowling and two in golf.

Hawaii does its part for college bowls

This year’s college football bowl season has been fabulous for fans from Hawaii, with several of the top teams in the games featuring players from Hawaii.

Getting top billing has been Punahou graduate Manti Te’o, the multi-award-winning linebacker with No. 1-ranked Notre Dame, which is playing in the series finale Monday against No. 2 Alabama. Notre Dame also features receiver Robby Toma, another Punahou grad (and like Te’o also from Laie).

Meanwhile, Saint Louis School graduate Marcus Mariota on Thursday led No. 4 Oregon to victory over No. 5 Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl, earning himself the game MVP award in the process.

Amazing local talent making it big.