Alex Ching hopes to enjoy the best of two worlds — golf and tennis — in his senior year at Punahou School.

One of the best golfers on campus, the 17-year-old Ching has never played for the school's golf team. Golf has always conflicted with tennis, a sport in which he has won state high school doubles titles the past two years.

This will be the year that he hopes to double-dip.

"It takes a lot of time from school, but I'm thinking of doing both this year. Everybody seems to be giving an OK," said Ching, who has just finished a successful summer of golf.

He won the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship at the PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; shared individual honors in the Boys Junior America's Cup in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; and tied for eighth in the Junior World in San Diego.

Last year, Ching qualified for the U.S. Open golf tournament a week after winning the state tennis doubles title with Jon Wong. He made it two in a row this spring with partner Erik Shoji.

Not bad for the part-time golfer, who couldn't decide if he wanted to be like Tiger Woods or Roger Federer.

Until now.

With the hopes of eventually getting a college scholarship in golf, Ching says, "Right now, it's more Tiger."

He believes it will be easier to get a scholarship in golf than tennis. Besides, he adds, "Tennis is just kind of an outlet for me."

He'd be more than welcomed if he turns out, said Casey Nakama, coach of the Punahou boys' golf team. "I hope he does. If he comes out, we should be really strong."

Nakama hasn't seen Ching play after the youngster, once one of "Casey's Kids," left his golf instructional program for beginners at Olomana years ago.

"Apparently, he's quite a golfer now," said Nakama, who won't mind sharing Ching with Rusty Komori, coach of the Punahou boys' tennis team.

"Golf is an individual sport, but we try to practice as a team," Nakama said. "I just want him to be there for the camaraderie when we practice three times a week."

Ching got a taste of team camaraderie during the Boys America's Cup competition, his second in as many years, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

"The team concept made it such a fun tournament. Nobody thinks about himself, but to help the other players on your team," said Ching, who teamed with Punahou sophomore Bradley Shigezawa and Kamehameha Schools' T.J. Kua and Alika Bell to represent Hawai'i.

"He's awesome," Komori said. "He's a great team player and a phenomenal competitor. Besides, he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet."

Still, being part of a tennis tradition that has produced 17 straight state boys' team titles is pretty heady stuff.

That's why in the past Ching decided to play only tennis, even though two summers ago he met tennis great Ivan Lendl, who told him to concentrate on golf.

Lendl was caddying for his daughter, Daniela, in the U.S. Kids Golf World Golf Championships in Virginia. Ching's dad, Steve, was toting the bag for his daughter, Alina, who will be a freshman at Punahou and will be playing varsity golf with another freshman standout, Cyd Okino.

Alina also plays tennis, but on the jayvee level. The latter's in the fall season, so she won't be torn between the two sports, at least in her freshman year.

"She's really good," Ching says of his sister's ability in golf and tennis.

Ching told Lendl he knew he would play college golf, but had a hard time deciding between golf and tennis in high school. Lendl told him, "Play golf, don't play tennis. Tennis is for sissies."

Ching still didn't turn out for the golf team as a junior, much to Nakama's regret. Punahou finished second to Kamehameha by three strokes in the state tournament. Nakama figures with Shigezawa and Ching, the Buffanblu have a good chance of unseating the Warriors, who return everyone, including Kua and Bell.

Ching feels his class load should be lighter this year, so he can play both sports and still maintain a B-plus average. He empathizes with his tennis doubles partner, Shoji, who will also face the same two-sport dilemma for the first time, now that volleyball moved to the spring.

Ching, who is 5 feet 11 and 150 pounds, has had no problem picking up a golf club after putting away his tennis racket, switching sports seamlessly.

"I think of it as one sport," says Ching, who feels that the competitiveness of tennis helps in golf by keeping him focused and maintaining a positive attitude even when things are not going his way.

So it'll be a brave new world of golf/tennis for Ching, who hopes to continue to excel in both sports, doing so at the same time for the first time.

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net