Stubblefield completes his personal grand slam

By Bill Kwon

In playing — and making the cut — at the U.S. Senior Open in Maryland last week, Larry Stubblefield earned the distinction of becoming the first golfer from Hawai'i to have competed in four major men's championships sponsored by the United States Golf Association.

Larry Stubblefield has now played in four major men's championships sponsored by the United States Golf Association. Advertiser library photo

In all of the events, you have to qualify in order to compete.

It is quite a feat and one that Stubblefield is justifiably proud to have accomplished. Call it Stubby's personal grand slam of golf.

"I hadn't thought about it. I'm kind of proud of it," Stubblefield said. "Anytime you play in a USGA event, it's something special."

Making it even more special was making the cut and playing all 72 holes in the 2002 U.S. Senior Open won by Don Pooley after a five-hole playoff with Tom Watson.

"To be competitive nationally is something. It was grinding out there. It's not like I've been playing every day," said Stubblefield, for whom golf is more of an avocation these days. He is a partner with Jack Wolfe Insurance, Inc.

Stubblefield was paired in the first two rounds with amateur partners. In Friday's round, when he shot a par-72 to survive the cut, Stubblefield played with a Utahan named Steve Watts, who just happens to be a good friend of Chipper Garriss.

Talk about a small world.

Stubblefield and Garriss grew up together in Lanikai, were Kailua High School classmates and were inducted together into the Hawai'i Golf Hall of Fame last year.

"When I made the cut and he (Watts) didn't, his family followed and rooted for me the next day," Stubblefield said.

It turned out to be an even smaller world. The USGA official accompanying Stubblefield that day was Kaua'i's Mary Bea Porter-King.

"I had a dynamic round Friday. It was very relaxing because of Mary Bea," said Stubblefield, who was 3-under-par after four holes before a 1 1/2-hour lightning delay. He went bogey-bogey after play resumed and double-bogeyed the 15th hole. But he parred the final three holes — 17 and 18 were 460-yard par-4s uphill and into the wind — to play on the weekend.

So, on Saturday, who did Stubblefield play with? Dave Eichelberger, a fellow O'ahu Country Club member.

"We had an O'ahu Country Club pairing," said Stubblefield, whose 75 was a shot better than Eichelberger's score.

A tired Stubblefield closed with a 78 and a 72-hole total of 302. The paycheck was nominal ($6,375) but the experience was priceless.

Of his four appearances in the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship — for golfers 25 years and older — Stubby thought the first one in 1983 at Cherry Hills in Colorado was the most memorable.

The medalist in the 36-hole qualifying, he lost to Jay Sigel in the third round of the match-play competition. Sigel then went on to win the event, becoming the first golfer in 53 years to win two USGA championships in the same year. Sigel had won the U.S. Amateur a month before.

But for Stubblefield, who also played in the 1985 and 1996 U.S. Amateur Championships, nothing compared to the excitement at last week's U.S. Senior Open.

Interestingly, he warmed up for that prestigious event by playing 100 holes — all on the same day — the Friday before.

It was the annual 100 Holes of Golf, a charity event at Wailea, Maui, which he has directed the past 21 years.

"I played in it some 20-odd years; I couldn't bag it," said Stubblefield, who broke his own record by five strokes with a 21-under-par score for 100 holes. Twenty-four hardy golfers took part on June 21 — the longest day in more ways than one for them — including Wailea host pro, Rick Castillo.

The golfers raised $70,000 for Ka Lima, a Maui charity which provides employment training and opportunities for the physically and academically challenged.

"The thing I'm most proud of is that 97 percent of the money goes to Ka Lima," Stubblefield said.

Ah, I remember the 100 Holes of Golf all too well, having played in seven of them when I was hardier physically, and less foolhardy, mentally.

It was more of a celebrity event then, with the likes of Bo Belinsky, J. Akuhead Pupule (Hal Lewis) and Larry Price.

The idea of playing 100 holes in one day began in 1965 at the nine-hole Kaua'i Surf golf course with Bob Herkes, Jim Becker and host pro Bill Schwallie making up the original group. Stubblefield's father, Charles, joined them the next year.

The event was resurrected in 1978 at Sea Mountain on the Big Island, moved to Princeville for two years and found a permanent home at Wailea since 1981. Herkes has played in 26 of the marathons, missing only once.

This year was Larry Stubblefield's 22nd straight 100-holer.

He assured us that there will be many more.

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.