Sheffield, Ito receive journalism scholarships
Advertiser Staff
Kea'au High School valedictorian Sarah Sheffield and University of Nebraska senior Merynn Ito are the recipients of the 2003-2004 Bill Gee and Monte Ito Scholarship Awards.
• The Honolulu Advertiser's annual Golf Guide was in Sunday's editions. It can be found online here.
The awards celebrate the memorable careers of Bill Gee, the late Honolulu Star-Bulletin sportswriter and editor, and Monte Ito, who passed away in 1996 after covering sports for 50 years for The Honolulu Advertiser. Both are in the Hawai'i Golf Hall of Fame.
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Sheffield and Merynn Ito earned the $1,500 college scholarships for portraying "outstanding achievements and/or potential in journalism and a sincere appreciation of golf."
Sheffield was editor of Kea'au's newspaper and the lone golfer on the school team. She played in the state high school championship all four years, placing 15th in 2003, when she was named Most Improved Player by the Big Island Junior Golf Association. She will attend Gonzaga in the fall and play on the golf team.
This is the third time Ito has won a scholarship in the program.
The 2001 'Aiea graduate worked on Ka Leo O 'Aiea in high school and won the 2000 girls state championship. She was second as a freshman.
This week, Ito was named to the National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team. She has a 3.567 grade point average in news-editorial at Lincoln. She was the Huskers' second-ranked golfer the past two seasons.
The Bill Gee/Monte Ito Scholarship Award program was originated by the Golf Media Association of Hawai'i. It is administered by the David S. Ishii Foundation. The Star-Bulletin and Advertiser sponsor the scholarships.
The program is open to Hawai'i high school seniors and Hawai'i graduates with at least one year of school remaining.
Ko Olina Golf Club offering programs
Ko Olina Golf Club has inaugurated a series of programs to support the PGA of America's "Play Golf America" marketing initiative. This summer's programs are:
• Get the Bug, Learn Golf. Designed for beginners and occasional golfers. Players are encouraged to form their own group with a minimum of three students and a maximum of six.
• Juniors Play Free. A nine-hole twilight special available after 4 p.m. every day but Friday. Adults pay a nine-hole rate and one junior plays free. Additional juniors pay $25. The offer is good through Oct. 15.
• Couples Special. Good on Fridays, after noon, through Oct. 15. One golfer pays the 18-hole rate, with the second person paying the nine-hole rate.
Ko Olina's initial program, the Pau Hana Golf League sponsored by Corona, sold out its eight-week run.
For more information, call Ko Olina or e-mail golf@koolina.com.
More than 3,400 facilities and 4,700 PGA professionals are participating in Play Golf America across the country.
Short putts
• Wednesday is the last day to register for the Big Island Amateur, which will be played July 31 and Aug. 1 at the Waikoloa Kings' Course. Douglas Oki is defending champion. Past champions include Steve Veriato, Dennis Rose, Alan Texiera, Lee Hardy and Gabriel Wilson. Call 886-6060 for more information. Entrants must meet Big Island residency requirements.
• Entries are still being taken for the 26th annual Hawai'i State Women's Golf Association Senior Championship. It will be Aug. 30 at Waikele, with a 7 a.m. shotgun start. Marcie Rudich is defending champion. Players must be 50 or older and belong to an HSWGA club. For more information, call 488-2270.
