Hawai'i wins national public links team title
Advertiser Staff
Leah Whiting, Michelle Wie and Chin Huei Hung put Hawai'i back on top of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship map in June, in an accomplishment the U.S. Golf Association has yet to announce.
Whiting (Hilo), Wie (Honolulu) and Hung (Taiwan) — who all qualified at Ala Wai — made up Hawai'i's public links team at the 25th annual championship, and won Hawai'i's first women's team championship. They beat out Phoenix, which has won a record five titles, by one shot.
Each team member gets a silver medal and the state gets custody of the Women's Amateur Public Links Team Championship Trophy for the year.
Team titles are determined by scores in the two-day stroke-play qualifying, with the best two-of-three scores counting each day. Hung finished fourth in qualifying, at 74-75-149. Whiting tied for 15th (77-79-156) and Wie 33rd (84-76-160).
Their two-day team total was 302. Phoenix finished at 303.
Hawai'i has won two of the 76 men's team titles — in 1961, at Detroit, and 1975, at Wailua on Kaua'i.
Hawai'i has a solid tradition in women's public links. Lori Castillo Planos won the third and fourth individual championships, in 1979 and '80. At one time, Castillo held or shared every individual tournament record. She won 11 consecutive public links matches before losing in the second round in 1981. Until last year, she was the youngest (18) to win a Women's Amateur Public Links title.
Missy Farr-Kaye was a member of the Phoenix team, and eventually lost in the championship final to Taiwan's Candie Kung. Farr-Kaye is the sister of the late Heather Farr, the LPGA player and former Public Links champion who died of breast cancer.
STROKE PLAY
• Sasada to defend title: More than 50 local pros will play in the 2001 AT&T Stroke Play Championship, beginning Sunday at Mauna Kea.
Makena's Brian Sasada won the title last year, on his way to Aloha Section PGA Player of the Year honors. Sasada shot 6-under-par 210 over three days at Mauna Kea, beating Hilo Muni's Kevin Hayashi by two strokes.
Others in this year's field include Tommy Hines, Andrew Feldmann, Ron Castillo Jr., Beau Yokomoto and Eddie Lee.
Rodney Acia, who teamed with Hayashi on Friday to win the section's Four-Ball championship, will defend his Seniors title. He edged Turtle Bay's Dennis Rose by a shot last year, and Larry Stubblefield by two.
The tournament begins Sunday with a 7:30 a.m. Pro-Am. The three tournament rounds are Monday-Wednesday, beginning at 7 a.m.
Aloha Section PGA professionals will be competing for $21,200 in prize money, plus more than $1,000 in AT&T long distance gift certificates. The Championship Flight will be playing for $15,000, seniors for $5,000 and the Pro-Am is worth $1,200. Winners of the championship and senior divisions will receive a round trip ticket from Delta Air Lines.
This year's Senior Division event will include the Section Senior Club Professional Championship (CPC) Qualifier. The first two rounds of the Stroke Play Championship will be used as their qualifying score for the National Senior CPC, being held at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in October.
ARMY INVITATIONAL
• Gomi back on defense: Clayton Gomi will defend his championship at the 2001 Army Invitational this weekend at Leilehua and Kalakaua golf courses.
Gomi birdied the final hole last year to beat Del-Marc Fujita and 1999 champion Brandan Kop by one shot. Art Fujita won the Senior Flight.
This year, the field includes Gomi, Kop, Manoa Cup finalist Kellen-Floyd Asao, 1998 Army champion Sean Doi, Paul Kimura, Justin Kim and state stroke play champion Randy Shibuya.
The field of 252 will play at both courses Friday and Saturday. The field will be cut in half for Sunday's final round, which will begin at 6:30 a.m. at Leilehua.
TURTLE BAY SENIORS
• Player, Sigel entered: Gary Player and Jay Sigel, Senior PGA Tour members at opposite ends of the golf spectrum, will play in the inaugural Turtle Bay Championship, Oct. 5-7 at Hilton Turtle Bay's Arnold Palmer Course.
Player has won more than 163 tournaments — including nine majors — in his 48-year professional career. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
Sigel turned pro in 1993 and has won six senior events and $6.2 million since.
The $1.5 million tournament includes a 36-hole Pro-Am on Wednesday and Thursday (Oct. 3-4).
For tournament information, call 545-1588.
