High school golfers get another chance to shine

By Bill Kwon

Call them Casey's Kids. Thirty of the state's top high school golfers from O'ahu, Maui, Kaua'i and the Big Island will be competing in the second Hawai'i All-Star Invitational Sunday and Monday at the Olomana Golf Links.

Casey Nakama, right, working with Ayumi Hori, has developed a team-style golf tournament for the state's young golfers. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

It's the second year for the event. (See details in "Briefly" column at left.) The 2000 tournament was a huge success, but last year's competition was called off because of the teachers' strike, which shortened the prep golf season.

Well, it's back with a who's who field of outstanding prep golfers, including Waiakea's Jarett Hamamoto and Leah Whiting, the recently crowned state champions.

They, along with Waiakea's Gabriel and Amanda Wilson, make the Big Island Interscholastic Federation the favorite to repeat as team champions.

The BIIF will be competing against six-person teams, which include two girls, from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association, Kaua'i Interscholastic Federation and the Maui Interscholastic League.

Nakama came up with the idea for an all-star showcase because he wanted to give high school golf more media exposure.

"A lot of the other high school sports, such as softball and soccer, have so much more coverage than golf," Nakama said. "This will give these kids the recognition they deserve."

Golf is not a seasonal sport, Nakama added. "It's yearlong and the kids work hard all year. I wanted to do something for them, to show that they're something special."

The 2000 individual winners indeed proved to be something special. Rachel Kyono of Kaua'i High, who set a women's course record of 8-under 65, now attends Pepperdine University and is competing in this week's NCAA Division I women's tournament in Auburn, Wash.

Waiakea's Ryan Masuda, who had won the boys' state title earlier that month, earned a golf scholarship to Purdue University.

As for this year's individual state champions, Hamamoto will be playing his collegiate golf at the Air Force Academy, Whiting at Oregon State University.

While golf is usually an individual sport, Nakama feels the event's team format gives it a different twist, especially with the mixed scores.

The best three out of four boys' scores and one of the girls' scores will count each day.

"Golf hardly has any team events. I wanted them to have some pride for their island and their league and pull for each other," Nakama said.

Thanks to Aloha Airlines and the Beachcomber Hotel, two of the tournament's major sponsors, there are no travel expenses for the Neighbor Island youngsters.

All well with Michelle

Speaking of Casey's Kids. One of his Olomana junior golf pupils is 12-year-old phenom Michelle Wie, who missed defending her Jennie K. title because she received a sponsor's exemption to play in an LPGA tournament last weekend. She missed the cut in the Asahi Ryokuken International Championship in South Carolina, but thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

"I received a lot of encouragement from the (LPGA) players. They were really nice to me," Wie said. "And the trip to the East Coast was really helpful."

Especially, she said, in terms of learning better course management and playing under different course conditions.

Long off the tee, Wie said she hit her driver only once on the back nine in her second round when she shot a creditable 75.

Yesterday, Wie passed the first qualifying test for the U.S. Women's Open, shooting a 78 to be among the 14 qualifiers advancing in Duluth, Ga., so the long trip did pay dividends.

Wie was one of 14 qualifiers who competed in 47 degree weather.

"My hands were cold and I couldn't think," said Wie.

Wie was still disappointed about missing the Jennie K.

"I really wanted to defend," she said about the tournament which she won as an 11-year-old to become that event's youngest winner. "But it was my first sponsor's exemption, so I couldn't refuse it. Maybe there won't be anymore, if I did."

Ryota Koga, president of Asahi Ryokuken Inc., the LPGA event's sponsor, plans on extending Wie another exemption with a personal invitation when he visits Hawai'i next year on a business trip. The Wies hope the tournament won't conflict with the Jennie K. again.

Wie, who also qualified for the U.S. Women's Public Links Amateur Championship again after advancing to the third round last year as that event's youngest qualifier, is entered in the Manoa Cup next month. She became the first female to qualify and play in the tournament that began in 1907.

Tomori advances

Christel Tomori's two-week break from the SBC Futures Tour wasn't completely a trip to relax.

She had made it a point of coming home to play in the first-ever local qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open. Tomori was the low medalist among the five players advancing to the sectionals after shooting a par-72 at the Waialae Country Club on Monday. The other qualifiers were Su A. Kim of Seoul, South Korea, Waiakea High's Amanda Wilson, Maui's Desiree Ting and Punahou sixth-grader Stephanie Kono.

Tomori will play in the 36-hole sectional qualifying June 3 at the Twin Orchard Country Club in Long Grove, Ill., a one-hour drive from her next scheduled Futures Tour event in bordering Wisconsin.

"It worked out fine for me," she said.

Ting, Kono, Wilson and Wie will play in the sectional qualifying June 10 at the Valencia (Calif.) Country Club.

Dawn Kaneshiro of Lahaina, will also try to qualify there after advancing in Kent, Wash. Former University of Hawai'i golfer Nadia Ste-Maria advanced to the sectionals after qualifying in Maryland.

The U.S. Women's Open will be July 4-7 at the Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan.

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