GOLF BRIEFS
9 of World's top 10 qualify for Mercedes
Advertiser Staff
Nine of the top 10 golfers in the World Rankings have qualified to play in the Mercedes Championships next month at Kapalua's Plantation course.
Ireland's Padraig Harrington is the only top 10 player missing. Harrington won the first event of the 2004 European Tour International last weekend to move up to No. 8.
The other nine all won at least once this year to qualify for Mercedes, which brings together the champions from the previous year to open the PGA Tour season. Tiger Woods is No. 1, followed by Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Davis Love III, Jim Furyk, Mike Weir, Retief Goosen, Harrington, David Toms and Kenny Perry.
Els won the Mercedes and the Sony Open in Hawai'i this year.
The 2004 Mercedes will be Jan. 8 to 11. A field of 31 has qualified. The last-place finisher will get $60,000 of the $5.3 million purse.
Season passes are $50 until Dec. 22. Tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster at 1-(877)-GOLFTIX or visiting pgatour.com or ticketmaster.com. For tournament information, call 669-2440 on Maui.
Toyama, Wie in Challenge
Hawai'i national champions Travis Toyama and Michelle Wie will play in First Hawaiian Bank's Pro-Junior Golf Challenge on Jan. 13 — two days before the Sony Open in Hawai'i starts at Waialae Country Club. Wie will play in the Open on a sponsor's exemption.
The exhibition features six PGA Tour pros teamed with six Hawai'i juniors. The final four juniors will be chosen following the Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association Tournament of Champions.
Wie, a Punahou freshman, won the United States Golf Association Women's Amateur Public Links championship last summer. Toyama won the 35th annual Independent Insurance Agents Junior Classic, breaking Tiger Woods' scoring record by one stroke.
Toyama, who won the 2002 Manoa Cup at age 15, won the Pro-Junior last year with Tom Lehman.
Former Hawaiian Open champions Jeff Sluman and Jerry Kelly have committed to play in the Pro-Junior.
Wie will be featured in The USGA Year in Review TV show Sunday on NBC. Interviews and highlights from all 13 USGA championships will be shown. The show will be re-broadcast on ESPN Jan. 7.
Wie was included in the "Ten to Watch in 2004" program on A&E Tuesday.
$20,000 donated to nonprofit groups
Oaktree Capital, owner of Turtle Bay Resort, and the PGA Tour contributed $20,000 to 15 North Shore nonprofit organizations.
The money came from the 2003 PGA Commissioner's Cup Tournament, which was won by the Oaktree Capital team of Hy Adelman and Scott Chernoff. The pair earned $20,000 in prize money.
Those to receive contributions include North Shore Lifeguard Association, Ko'olauloa Youth Activities Club, North Shore Canoe Club, Kahuku Library, Kahuku 2000, Camp Erdman YMCA, National Audubon Society, Kahuku Hospital and NSSA Surf.
