Eubank, Wie win state open titles

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

MAKENA, Maui — Michelle Wie has gone from pre-teen prodigy to teenage golfing terror.

Michelle Wie, 13, was the only player to break par all three rounds at Makena's South Course.

Dan Nishimoto won this tournament in 1974, the first year it was revived. Advertiser library photos

Florida's Tom Eubank (73-209) became the first player from outside Hawai'i to win the Championship Flight, holding off Seattle's Chad Fribley (71) by two shots. David Ishii, Pearl Country Club's Director of Golf, was the top local finisher at 70-213. Ishii, who had never played Makena before, returns to the Japan tour Saturday to play his final event of the year.

Ryan Koshi, last year's Manoa Cup champion, was low amateur at 73-220 and Dean Prince charged into a share of his seventh consecutive Seniors title. He closed with a 2-under-par 70 to tie Dan Nishimoto (74) at 219. Both three-putted the final hole for bogey, then agreed to pass on the playoff and be co-champions. Prince has held the Senior championship from the year it began.

But Wie, who turned 13 last month, stole everyone's thunder. She was the only player to break par all three rounds at Makena's South Course. Her 8-under 208 total was one better than Eubank's and 18 better than last year's winning women's score.

The women played from tees 850 yards shorter than the men. Wie, nearly 6-feet tall, overpowered everyone and everything, hitting wedges into all but a few greens and irons off a few tees.

She also displayed a dramatically improved touch on and around the greens. "Every putt she hits is just tracking the hole," said Tomori, who won a Futures event last year.

Wie attributes her improvement to a summer playing and practicing with high-powered — and intrigued — instructors on the Mainland. She was in two LPGA events this year and will return to work with David Leadbetter in Florida as soon as she and her father, a University of Hawai'i professor, go on Christmas break.

Rarick, 43, went from UH to become a five-time winner on the LPGA. She came back to play in her first state open in 22 years, and "remind old friends how much I love it here."

She was just in time to see Wie's infinite potential.

"It's pretty wild because, first of all, she has the composure of a 23-year-old, not a 13-year-old," said Rarick, who plans to play two more years on tour. "Very composed, she's extremely well-behaved, she shows a lot of discipline out there.

"I think she's there. If she can come out on this course and shoot 8-under ... maybe Karrie Webb and Annika could have shot 12- or 15-under, but ... she would have been right with them. I really believe that. Her length is every bit what theirs is. If she keeps this up, she will be a phenom like Tiger."

Wie shyly admitted her game was "not good enough" to win this tournament the first two years she played. But this week she gave herself an "A-minus, maybe an A." Her only regret was that she did not reach her goal of going "double digits" under par.

Wie's eight-shot advantage going into the final day reduced Rarick and Tomori to playing for second and working on their games, something they will continue the next four months. Rarick, who won just $20,000 this year, is searching for more accuracy and Tomori a better short game. Both also admit they are in search of confidence.

Eubank, the laid-back president of Tour Golf Inc., had enough for both of them. His last tournament here was the 1990 Hawaiian Open, while he was on the PGA Tour. He took the last 10 years off to get his scorecard and yardage book business off the ground. His company, which has a growing Hawai'i clientele, is a supporting sponsor of the tournament.

Now Eubank will go back to his 60-hour work weeks and continue to fine-tune his game for the senior tour. He came here with "zero expectations and high hopes" and felt surprisingly serene when he started the final round with a four-shot advantage.

Even Fribley's front-nine charge "couldn't budge" Eubank. Fribley, a former assistant pro at Kapalua, made the turn at 3-under to cut his deficit in half. He would get no closer.

When Eubank drained a five-foot par putt on the 17th and hit a perfect drive on the 18th, he finally felt his first victory in a decade was secure.

"This is my first win since 1993 and the first time I've ever won a state open, which is exciting," Eubank said. "To be out here staring at the ocean all day, that was just a calming effect. You can't get too mad. If you do, you just stare at the ocean for about 10 seconds and know it's not so bad."

SHORT PUTTS: Dan Nishimoto won this tournament in 1974, the first year it was revived. ... Stan Souza's 69 yesterday was the only round in the 60's. ... Wendell Kop, the oldest player in the tournament at 67, was the only amateur to make the cut in the senior division. ... Kevin Hayashi's bid to win four State Opens in a row, and tie Scott Simpson and Lance Suzuki for most titles, was denied. Hayashi is the only player to win three Open titles in a row. ... Chad Fribley finished fifth at this year's Maui Open. ... Christel Tomori's winning total of 209 in 1999 was the previous low women's score. Tomori shot a 65 in the opening round that year.