Of all Mathias' travels, Hawai'i may be easiest

By Bill Kwon

"Have golf clubs, will travel" might be words that Jonathan Mathias lives by. But it takes some planning and a lot of understanding superior officers for it to become a reality for the Air Force staff sergeant.

Former Hawai'i resident Jonathan Mathias, an Air Force staff sergeant, played in the Governor's Cup and will try to qualify for the Sony Open. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

Instead, he has had tours of duty in Turkey, Kuwait and Iraq — all since 9/11. Naturally, he didn't get to golf in Kuwait and Iraq.

"But I did play at a nine-hole course on base in Adana, Turkey, which borders Iraq," said the 31-year-old electronic security specialist, who took a month furlough for this week's Gov. John A. Burns Challenge Cup and the Sony Open in Hawai'i qualifying at the Waialae Country Club on Dec. 13.

"I wasn't going to miss this for all the world," Mathias said about the chance to qualify for the Sony Open, the PGA Tour's first full-field event of 2005.

By making the team and playing in the Governor's Cup, the 12 amateurs get a shot to earn a very special Sony Open exemption. Considering there are only 11 others to beat, none of the amateurs would think of passing up this door of opportunity, which might close in the future.

After being stationed at Hickam Air Force Base since 1998, Mathias was reassigned to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

That cost him a chance to defend his title in last month's Turtle Bay Amateur. But he had earned enough Governor's Cup points by finishing fourth in the Hawai'i State Amateur, third in the Mid-Pacific Open and third in the Hickam Invitational before leaving the Islands in May.

"When I left, I talked to Brandan Kop and Mark Chun, who told me how important it was to play in the Governor's Cup. I started making plans then to come back," Mathias said.

If anything, being reassigned to Lackland gave him an opportunity to play even more golf.

"I played a lot of golf in Texas," said Mathias, who finished second in the Texas State Amateur Championship, losing to the defending champion after a three-hole playoff.

He also finished runner-up in the All-Air Force and All-Service golf tournaments at the Air Force Academy's Eisenhower course in Colorado.

"I'm lucky. I've got a good job and can participate in tournaments because I have good bosses who play golf and know that I'm representing the Air Force," said Mathias, who played collegiate golf at East Tennessee State and North Carolina State.

It was while stationed at Hickam and looking out at its on-base Mamala Bay golf course that Mathias decided to make it a goal of getting back into the swing of things in his favorite sport.

A native of Kentucky, Mathias has been in the Air Force for 8ý years and hasn't made up his mind if he wants to put in his 20 years when his military obligation ends in November 2007.

"I'll decide then," he said.

"I've got a family to think of," said Mathias, who met his wife, Heather Shadley, when she was attending Hawai'i Pacific University. She's a nurse at a San Antonio hospital.

They're expecting their first child in February.

Mathias knows it'll be a girl and her name has already been picked.

"We're going to call her Abigail after my wife's mom, whose name is Gail."

And if Mathias should qualify to play in the Sony Open in January, you can bet on it that he'll find a way to get back here.

ALOHA, HOPE YEE

The golf community mourns the death of Hope Yee, one of the pioneers in local women's golf. Yee lived a full life and passed away last Friday at the age of 86.

Yee and her late husband, Harold, were among the staunchest supporters of public links golf in Hawai'i.

Inducted into the Hawai'i Golf Hall of Fame in 1988, Hope was a charter member of the Hawai'i State Women's Golf Association and won many of its tournaments, which she also helped to organize.

Her passion for golf extended to helping others to enjoy a sport she was introduced to when she worked as a teenager at the YWCA in Hilo. At her induction into the hall of fame, Yee recalled "sneaking away on Sundays to golf instead of going to church. And my father was a minister."

When she moved to O'ahu with her husband, Yee caught the eye of legendary golf instructor Guinea Kop on the range at the Ala Wai Golf Course.

"He had his eye out for some Chinese women golfers," Yee said at the time. "He took me under his wing. Any time I needed help he'd give it to me."

At her own induction into the golf hall of fame last year, Bev Kim, another of Kop's prized pupils of Chinese ancestry, said "Guinea, Hope Yee and Bea Luke were the most influential persons for me."

Funeral services for Yee will be held Dec. 10 at Diamond Head Chapel with visitation starting at 10:30 a.m.

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net