Wie will take shot at Sony qualifying
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By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
Michelle Wie and 93 guys will try to qualify for the final four Sony Open in Hawai'i spots Monday at Pearl Country Club. David Ishii, Pearl's director of golf and the 1990 Hawaiian Open champion, is not one of the 93.
Ishii, who plays on the Japanese tour, asked for an exemption into the tournament but was denied. He decided not to try to enter via the Monday qualifier, which he had done in previous years. He played in the Aloha Section PGA's members-only qualifier in December but was beat out by Maui pros Doug Bohn and Kirk Nelson.
Wie, a 13-year-old who has played in two LPGA events, is gunning for her first PGA Tour appearance. She will hit from the back tees with the rest of the players. Players go off from 7 a.m. with Wie beginning at 8 a.m. off the 10th tee.
The field includes 24 other golfers from Hawai'i and 11 from Japan. There are also eight players from the PGA and Nationwide tours, including Keith Clearwater, Brett Quigley and O'ahu Country Club member Dave Eichelberger. Keoke Cotner, who grew up in Hawai'i and lives in Texas, is also playing.
Other Hawai'i players include OCC head pro Andrew Feldmann, Pearl's Kevin Hayashi and Gregory Meyer, Regan Lee and Damien Memorial sophomore Kurt Nino, who reached the semifinals of the Manoa Cup last year.
Players pay $400 to enter the Monday qualifier. It is open to all pros and amateurs with a current U.S. Golf Association handicap of 2 or under using the Men's USGA Handicap System.
Sony field released: Yesterday was the final day to commit to play in the Sony Open and the final field was released, minus the four Monday qualifiers and one more sponsor exemption. There will be 14 Top-20 players from the 2002 money list playing at Waialae Country Club, including Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and Retief Goosen — third, fourth and fifth in the World Golf Ranking.
The 144-player field also includes 28 of the 36 players in the Mercedes Championships. Those missing will be Nick Price, Rocco Mediate, J.P. Hayes, Justin Leonard, Kevin Sutherland, Matt Gogel, Phil Tataurangi and Bob Estes.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the only golfers that qualified for Mercedes but did not come, are also passing on the Sony. They are 1-2 in the world.
Davis Love III, who was on an earlier commitment list, has decided not to play. Others who had not committed earlier, such as Stuart Appleby, Notah Begay III, Stewart Cink, Fred Couples and Esteban Toledo, have decided to play.
Hawai'i golfers in the field along with Nelson, head pro at Makena Resort, and Bohn, a Kapalua pro, are Dean Wilson, Ron Castillo Jr. and Joe Phengsavath. Wilson earned his PGA Tour playing privileges at last fall's qualifying tournament. Castillo was the 2002 Aloha Section PGA Player of the Year. Phengsavath is the only amateur so far, earning a sponsor's exemption at a December qualifying.
SHORT PUTTS
Defending Mercedes champion Sergio Garcia threw his putter at his golf bag after missing a short birdie and bent it. Tour rules prohibit a player from using a putter that has an altered lie, so Garcia putted with his wedge from the 14th on. "I had some good putts with it," said Garcia, who shot even-par 73 and is 15 shots back. "I made a couple." ... The tour record is five eagles in a tournament, set by Dave Eichelberger (1980) and Davis Love III (1994) at the Hawaiian Open. Ernie Els has three, which is half as many as he had all last year. ... Bob Estes has gone 34 holes without a bogey. ... The field shot an average score of 69.694 yesterday, the lowest second-round scoring average since this tournament moved to Kapalua in 1999. The lowest average score was 69.361, set Thursday. There have only been five rounds over-par so far.
