When it came to Hawai'i's 2008 newsmakers in golf, it certainly was Punahou's year and not because of president-elect Barack Obama, who loves to hit the local links.

We're talking about the school's other alumni — Alex Ching, Class of 2008, our choice as the No. 1 newsmaker of the year in local golf; Parker McLachlin, who won his first PGA Tour event; and Michelle Wie, who earned an LPGA Tour playing card by going through Q-School.

That wasn't all the Buffanblu accomplishments this year. Also making the year's top-10 list were Stephanie Kono, another 2008 graduate, and Cyd Okino, who was the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's girls champion as a ninth-grader and led Punahou to the ILH and state team championships.

TOP 10 NEWSMAKERS

1 — Alex Ching. No one had a better year than Ching, now a freshman on the University of San Diego golf team. The year began with Ching playing in the Sony Open in Hawai'i and 2009 could start with him playing in the PGA Tour event again if he beats his Governor's Cup teammates in the amateur qualifier next Monday at the Waialae Country Club.

In between, Ching won the 100th Manoa Cup, the most prestigious amateur championship locally, the Hickam Invitational, the Army Amateur and the Oahu Country Club Invitational. That's in addition to winning the ILH and state boys' titles. And, like Okino, he led the Buffanblu to the league and state team championships. Ching added a third team title to his resume this year, helping the Toreros take home the Kaua'i Collegiate Invitational trophy last month at the Puakea Golf Course.

If that wasn't enough, Ching won all three of his matches, including two with 'Iolani School's David Fink, as the amateurs beat the professionals, 12 1/2 to 11 1/2, in the 36th Governor John A. Burns Challenge Cup earlier this week at the Turtle Bay Resort.

"It's been a fun year every step of the way. I enjoyed every moment of it," said Ching, who's home for the holidays and doesn't have to return to school until after the Sony Open.

Being inside the ropes and playing with the pros was really a fun experience and an honor, according to Ching. He'd like nothing better than to do it again at Waialae and start 2009 the same way he did this year.

Of his victories, the best "for sure" was the Manoa Cup at the Oahu Country Club, he said. "Because it's my home course and the members were there supporting me every step of the way. It's awesome to be in that category (with the other champions.)"

Not bad for a guy who only turned out for the Punahou golf team in his senior year after concentrating in tennis as a two-time state doubles champion. He still picks up the racket, playing a little tennis with his college roommate, who's on the Toreros' tennis team.

2 — Parker McLachlin: Wins the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open for his first PGA Tour victory and qualifies for the winners-only Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua's Plantation Course next month. The Punahou and UCLA graduate earned $1.31 million to finish 84th on the money list in his second full year on the tour. He joins the late Ted Makalena, David Ishii and Dean Wilson as the only players from Hawai'i to win a PGA Tour event.

3 — Michelle Wie: Finishes tied for seventh in the LPGA qualifying school to earn an exempt status for the 2009 season, making it a comeback year for the one-time child prodigy who had relied on sponsor's exemptions to play in tournaments. Wie nearly made it by being among the top 80 money winners but was disqualified for not signing her scorecard in the LPGA State Farm Classic. She was 17 under par and one stroke off the lead after rounds of 67-65-67 before she was notified of the costly oversight.

4 — Stephanie Kono: Ranked 10th among collegiate women — and the best among Bruins — in scoring average (71.82) as a freshman on the UCLA golf team. Kono reached the semifinals in the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links championship in Wisconsin, lost in the third round of the U.S. Women's Amateur in Eugene, Ore., and became the first female to make the cut in the Mid-Pacific Open, walking all four rounds in the state's only 72-hole tournament. Her final-round 77 under windy conditions was only one stroke higher than Tadd Fujikawa, 17, who became the youngest champion in the 50-year history of the tournament for his first victory as a professional.

5 — Cyd Okino: Other than Ching, no golfer had won more events in 2008 than Okino, who's now a sophomore "veteran" on the defending Punahou girls' state championship team. Besides the ILH individual title, Okino won the women's division of the Hawai'i State Open for the third year in a row, captured the Hawai'i State Women's Golf Association match-play championship for the second time and the Ka'anapali Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association match play championship.

6 — Sam Cyr: The 2004 King Kekaulike High School graduate from Makawao, Maui, playing for Point Loma Nazarene University, won the NAIA men's championship at the Indiana National Golf Club in Plymouth, Ind., in May and shot a 12-under 62 opening round for a wire-to-wire victory in the Grand Canyon Fall Classic in October. He also helped the U.S. team to a win in the USA vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championship.

7 — Kristina Merkle: The Moanalua High School senior, who's headed to Tulsa University, also grabbed a bunch share of golf trophies, winning the O'ahu Interscholastic Association and state titles, the Aloha Section Junior PGA Championship and the King Auto Group Hawai'i State Junior Championship to earn invitations to the 33rd National PGA Junior Championship in Cincinnati and the Big "I" Junior Classic in Pinehurst, N.C., respectively. She also represented Hawai'i in the Girls America's Cup with Cassy Isagawa, Marissa Chow and Alina Ching.

8 — Travis Toyama: The former UH golfer and two-time Manoa Cup champion won the Hawai'i State Amateur, the Amatour Hawai'i Tour Championship and teamed with Leland Lindsay to take the Bridgestone Pro-Scratch Championship. He plans on turning pro for the Hawai'i Pearl Open.

9 —Allisen Corpuz: The Kapolei youngster showed she was the best 10-year-old in the nation by winning the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship for her age division in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Corpuz was the youngest to play in a USGA championship event when she competed in the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links, breaking by six months the record held by Michelle Wie. Corpuz capped her year with victories in the Kiahuna Junior Classic and the HSJGA Tournament of Champions.

10 — Kyung Kim: Former Maui resident now living in Chandler, Ariz., won the AJGA Heather Farr Classic and represented the U.S. in the Evian Junior Masters in the French Alps. "France was awesome," Kim said about the trip. The 14-year-old earned Rolex Junior All-America honors.

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