Collegiate golfers Shoji, Ito earn Gee, Ito scholarships
Advertiser Staff
Casey Shoji and Merynn Ito are the 2003 winners of the Bill Gee and Monte Ito Memorial Scholarships.
The program is run by the Golf Media Association of Hawai'i. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin and Honolulu Advertiser sponsor the $1,500 scholarships. They are given to Hawai'i high school seniors and graduates with "outstanding achievements and/or potential in journalism and a sincere appreciation of golf."
The program honors the memory of Gee, a sportswriter at the Star-Bulletin for 46 years, and Ito, who worked at The Advertiser more than 50 years. Both are members of the Hawai'i Golf Hall of Fame.
Ito, the 2000 girls state high school champion for 'Aiea, is the first two-time winner of the GMAH scholarship. She earned the Bill Gee award her senior year in high school. She is now a junior in the University of Nebraska's College of Journalism and Mass Communications and just returned from the NCAA Nationals with her team.
Shoji was a four-year letterman on Roosevelt's golf team and also worked on the school paper. He has played for the golf team his first two years at Whittier College and won the school's Freshman Writing Contest last year.
Previous Bill Gee and Monte Ito Scholarship winners are Natalie Nakamura (Waiakea) and Evan Yamada (Mililani) in 2000, Ryan DeBusk (Mililani) and Merynn Ito in 2001 and Chaz Inouye (St. Anthony) and Erin Masuda (Hawai'i Baptist) last year.
SHORT PUTTS: The Moanalua Women's Invitational, scheduled for tomorrow and Saturday at Moanalua Golf Course, has been canceled. Call the golf course at 839-2411. ... The Turtle Bay Golf Camp runs July 5-11, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. It is open to golfers ages 8 through 17 and covers fundamentals. Call 293-8574. ... Mililani Golf Club is offering a $14 "Twilight Walking" rate through the end of September. The special green fee is offered daily after 3:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis. Call Brian Tamamoto at 623-2222. ... Waikoloa Beach Resort will host the 80th Big Island Amateur on its Kings' and Beach courses, Aug. 1-3. Participants must meet Big Island residency requirements. Past champions include Alan Texiera, Lee Hardy, Gabriel Wilson, Douglas Oki, Steve Veriato and Dennis Rose.
