AROUND THE GREENS
Youths honing their games

By Bill Kwon

Bradley Shigezawa finished in the top five in three national events. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

It's getting so that there's no off-season in golf. After the PGA Tour Championship next week, the so-called "silly season" begins before the pros officially tee it up all over again with the Mercedes Championships and Sony Open in Hawai'i to begin the 2004 season.

It's getting to be the same for Hawai'i's young golfers.

Michelle Wie is in South Korea this weekend to play in her seventh LPGA tournament of the year.

Four other hot teens — Travis Toyama, Stephanie Kono, Kurt Nino and Britney Choy — will be packing their bags shortly to play in the Polo Golf Classic at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., during Thanksgiving week.

Meanwhile, other local junior golfers are playing monthly mini-tournaments and still practicing at least four days a week during their "off-season" to sharpen their game for next summer.

At the Ala Wai driving range recently, we caught up with Bradley Shigezawa and Cyd Okino, two of the budding stars in the "tween group," those between the ages of 8 and 12. And they're taking their game seriously, hoping to raise it to the next level after impressive showings in national tournaments during the summer.

Shigezawa, a Punahou School sixth-grader, will be 12 in January, while Okino, a fifth-grader at Liholiho Elementary, will be 10 in December.

"No one is better than them at their age in Hawai'i," Casey Nakama said about the two youngsters who first took up the game at his junior golf program at the Olomana Golf Links.

"For her skills and in terms of how to play the game, Cyd is way ahead of Michelle when she was 9," Nakama said. "She doesn't have a naturally gifted swing like Michelle. Cyd's is more manufactured. She had to work at it. But you're always amazed when you see her hit the ball."

Okino now averages about 175 yards off the tee, remarkable considering she's a growing, 4-foot-11, 90-pound kid.

She's well aware of Wie, a role model for all young golfers.

"I admire her," said Okino, "but I want to be better than Michelle."

Nakama says Shigezawa, whose drives average around 260 yards, is "physically gifted" and at 5 feet 5 will get bigger and stronger. In June, Shigezawa became the youngest player (11) to qualify in the 95-year history of the Manoa Cup. Wie was 12 when she became the first female to make the 64-player field in 2001.

Shigezawa, who's a pitcher and catcher for his Hawai'i Kai Pony League team, says playing baseball is good for exercise and conditioning.

"It's a good way to see your friends. But I kinda like an individual sport like golf better. You just have to rely on yourself," said Shigezawa, whose parents, Glenn and Eri, don't golf.

Okino says playing soccer gives her added strength and stamina.

Both youngsters enjoyed a successful, month-long trip the past summer with Shigezawa going cross-country twice.

He finished fourth in the U.S. Kids championship in Williamsburg, Va., third in the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and runner-up in the Desert Junior Invitational in Palm Springs, Calif., after leading the first two rounds. His only disappointment was missing the cut in the Junior World in San Diego.

Okino, too young to compete in the Optimist event, finished third at Williamsburg and Palm Springs, and tied for 13th in making her third straight Junior World appearance. After missing the cut in her first appearance as a 7-year-old, she finished among the top 10 last year.

"I just want to get better every year," said Okino, whose goal is to place in the top five or better in national tournaments, pointing out that, "If you come in the top five, you don't need to qualify."

Both Okino and Shigezawa should improve next summer because they will be the older ones in their respective 9-10 and 11-12 age groups.

Okino loves golf now, but admits that she took up the game because her father, Cyrus, an avid golfer, insisted.

Did she learn the game by watching her dad?

"No," she said. "It'd be a bad experience to watch him."

But sometimes father knows best. During the off-season, Cyrus Okino has his precocious daughter working on the mental game by making her think birdies instead of pars. He's encouraging her to play from the shorter tees.

"It'll help them learn to play the short game and get them used to shooting under par," he said. "Why Hawai'i kids have a hard time up there (on the Mainland) is that they think par is good enough. This way, it gets them used to thinking birdies."

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.