Amatour major kicks off at Olomana Links
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Amatour Hawai'i's first major of the Year, the Olomana Shootout, will be this weekend at Olomana Golf Links.
Earl Medeiros, Gregg Omori and Eric Sonnenberg, winners of the tour's last three events, are entered. The field also includes Manoa Cup champion Ryan Perez.
Perez leads the 2004 points list, with Medeiros second and Paul Kimura third.
LPGA moving Kraft dates for 2006
The LPGA is moving its first major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, back a week beginning in 2006, in part because of the interest Michelle Wie has created. The Punahou sophomore has finished in the top 10 the past two years, taking fourth in March.
According to Terry Wilcox, tournament director for Kraft Nabisco, the change to the first weekend in April is expected to be a permanent move.
"We have been considering a date change for the past few years as a way to remove conflicts from other sporting events held the last weekend in March," Wilcox said, "most notably the NCAA basketball tournament and the PGA Tour Players Championship.
"Over the past year or so, we have seen a huge influx of young, new talent in women's professional golf, including Aree Song, Lorena Ochoa, Natalie Gulbis and Shi Hyun Ahn, as well as the emergence of the young amateur Michelle Wie. At the same time, the college and junior golf programs around the country are developing many more future stars that will soon hit the professional ranks.
"We felt it was time to capitalize on the excitement and growing popularity of women's golf and move the tournament so it would not compete with these events any longer."
The tournament has traditionally ended the final weekend of March and the 2005 dates (March 24 to 27) have it closing on Easter Sunday. The 35th Kraft Nabisco Championship, in 2006, will be March 30 to April 2.
Kraft Nabisco is played at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Area golfers at championships
Michael Eurell of Waipahu, Eldon Chow of Honolulu, and Ian Maclean of 'Aiea will participate in the 21st annual DuPont World Amateur Handicap Championship, Aug. 29 to Sept. 3 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The event is touted as the world's largest single-site golf tournament, with more than 3,800 golfers from all 50 states and 23 countries. It is played on 75 Grand Strand courses and is open to any amateur golfer with a verified United States Golf Association handicap or the foreign equivalent.
