Posted on: Thursday, June 5, 2003

Five months later, LPGA Skins on TV

Advertiser Staff

In the midst of Annika-mania, the five-month broadcast delay for January's LPGA Skins Game on Maui is starting to make sense.

The 2003 ConAgra Foods LPGA Skins Game will finally be shown on ESPN Monday and Tuesday, at 2 p.m. Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, Laura Davies and Laura Diaz played in the $600,000 exhibition Jan. 26 at Wailea's Gold Course.

Back then stories about Sorenstam playing a PGA Tour event were beginning to surface. She would not confirm any, but did have an interesting take on ESPN's decision to wait five months for its broadcast of the first LPGA Skins Game since 1998 "The good thing is that people will have forgotten who won by then," she said. "I think it will be great for TV."

The 2004 LPGA Skins Game is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 1 at Wailea, with the Champions Skins Game the day before.

• Lining up: Defending champion Hale Irwin and seven of the 12 Champions Tour winners this year have committed to play in the Turtle Bay Championship, Oct. 10-12, at the resort's Palmer Course.

Dana Quigley, Tom Jenkins, Bob Gilder, Dave Barr, Rodger Davis, Vicente Fernandez and Jay Sigel have signed to play. Irwin and Quigley are 1-2 on this year's money list. Quigley won the season-opening MasterCard Championship on the Big Island.

• Ko'olau and Callaway: Golfers can try the latest in Callaway golf technology every Wednesday at Ko'olau Golf Club. The Kane'ohe course will hold Demo Days from 1 p.m. to 6 all summer.

Callaway will feature its new product line. Equipment will be available on Ko'olau's all-grass driving range. There will also be prize raffles every hour.

SHORT PUTTS

Deadline for the 2003 U.S. Kids Golf World Championship is June 16. The local tournament is June 24 at Turtle Bay. The Hawai'i All-Star team advances to the national championship in Virginia with some 700 other players from 50 states and 30 countries. The tournament is open to girls and boys ages 4-12. Entry forms can be downloaded at uskidsgolf.com and are also available at the course. Hawai'i's Ha'aheo Manini-Hewlen won the girls 11 age division at last year's World Championship and the Hawai'i team took fifth. ... Twenty players will be going for Hawai'i's lone spot at the U.S. Senior Open qualifying tomorrow at Mid-Pacific Country Club.There are 42 qualifying sites nationally. The final field of 156 golfers will play at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, June 26-29. ... U.S. Women's Open Sectional qualifying will be next week on the Mainland. O'ahu's Summerset Lovett and Bridget Dwyer qualified locally to advance to sectionals. Michelle Wie was exempt from local qualifying based on her showing in U.S. Golf Association tournaments last year and will also play in a sectional. ... The David S. Ishii Foundation benefit tournament is next Thursday at Pearl Country Club. ... The inaugural Honolulu Sunrise Rotary Scholarship tournament will be tomorrow at Olomana Golf Links. The event raises scholarship funds for graduating seniors from Roosevelt High School. Glenn Kishida started the scholarship seven years ago. This year, organizers hope to award seven scholarships. ... June 22 is the entry deadline for the O'ahu Junior Golf Association's Waikele Junior Invitational. The tournament, for boys and girls ages 7-12, will be July 21-22. ... The OJGA/Pearl Junior Open deadline is June 29. That tournament is for players ages 13-17. Late entry fees are $25 more. Call 952-OJGA for more information. ... Sponsorship and VIP hospitality packages for the third annual Turtle Bay Championship are available. For tournament, sponsor or ticket information, call 545-1888 or visit TurtleBayChampionship.com.