Japan well-represented in Sony Open field
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
Shigeki Maruyama is one of 10 golfers from Japan who will play in next week's Sony Open in Hawai'i.
Maruyama has won a PGA Tour event each of the past two years. He finished No. 16 on the money list in 2002 and had a Top-10 finish at the 2000 Sony Open.
He will be joined by 2001 Hawai'i Pearl Open champion Hidemichi Tanaka, who is playing Sony for the third time. He won more than $760,000 on the PGA Tour last year and tied for 17th at the Sony. He has won nine times in Japan.
Kaname Yokoo received a sponsor's exemption from Sony after finishing 130th on the money list in his second year on the PGA Tour. This will be his fifth Sony Open.
Yusaku Miyazato and Taichiro Kiyota, both 22, will also play on sponsor's exemptions. Miyazato was the Japanese Amateur champion in 2001 and captured the Japan Students Tournament in 2000 and 2001. Kiyota won last year's Kanto Student Championship.
Japan tour pros Yasuharu Imano, Kenichi Kuboya, Katsunori Kuwabara, Tomohiro Kondo and Akiyo Sadakata will also play.
• Wilson at clinic: Dean Wilson, PGA Tour pro and Castle High graduate, will be featured at a free junior clinic Saturday at 3 p.m. at Olomana Golf Links.
The exhibition is part of Casey Nakama's Junior Golf Development Program.
Nakama's new Monday program at Waikele will start Jan. 20. To register, call 259-7712.
• UHH College-Am: Alumni of the 26 schools participating in the annual University of Hawai'i-Hilo Taylor Made/Waikoloa Intercollegiate Golf Tournament are encouraged to play in the event's College-Am, Tuesday, Feb. 11, at Waikoloa Kings' on the Big Island.
College-Am teams will be made up of four amateurs and two college players. Past participants in the Intercollegiate include Tiger Woods, Matt Kuchar, Bob May, Jim Furyk, Notah Begay and Casey Martin.
Proceeds from the College-Am help defray tournament expenses. Participating teams this year include Arizona State, Fresno State, Georgia Tech, Nagoya of Japan, Pepperdine, Stanford, UCLA, UH-Manoa and UH-Hilo, Houston, Nevada, Oklahoma and USC.
For information, call 961-5252 ext. 17, or 974-7493 on the Big Island.
