Esaki-Kua to defend golf title

A tournament with nearly 100 years of history tees off today when 186 golfers play the opening round of the Mauna Lani Resort Hawaii State Open.

TJ Esaki-Kua will defend his title. He tees off at Mauna Lani’s South Course at 8:51 a.m., with Tadd Fujikawa — the 2010 champ — and amateurs Kyle Suppa and Colin Laszlo.

Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer Kevin Hayashi and Dean Wilson, who have each won three State Open titles, play together at 9:36 a.m. Their playing partners are amateurs Remington Hirano and Tyler Ota, who just qualified for next month’s Sony Open in Hawaii.

Nick Mason, another three-time champion, goes out at 8:51 a.m. with David Fink, Alex Ching and Ryan Kartchner.

The women and seniors open on the North Course. Waiakea graduate Britney Yada, the 2015 women’s champion, tees off at 6:54 a.m. with fellow pro Kuniko Tischler, state high school runner-up Reese Guzman and `Iolani alum Zoey Akagi-Bustin, now a redshirt freshman for the University of New Mexico.

PGA Tour winners David Ishii and Scott Simpson play together at 8:06 a.m., with Carl Ho and Mike Kawate, two of the state’s finest senior amateurs. Ishii has won the State Open championship three times and also captured the 2010 and ’11 senior titles. Simpson is the only golfer to win four State Open titles since the event was revived in 1974.

The $60,000 tournament began in the 1920s and became the PGA Tour’s Hawaiian Open in 1965. It was brought back a few years later and is now presented by the Aloha Section PGA.

The tournament is scheduled for 54 holes, with a cut after Saturday’s second round.

UH women land first recruits

First-year University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine golf coach Stephen Bidne’s first two recruits are Nicha Vorrasanpisut of Bangkok, Thailand, and Tokyo’s Haruka Shintani.

Vorrasanpisut attends Bromsgrove International School. Her scoring average last year was 75.7, with seven top-five finishes. She tied for 20th at the IMG Junior World Championship in 2015.

Shintani has attended the IJGA Golf Academy in South Carolina the past three years and has a scoring average of 75. She qualified for this year’s U.S. Junior Girls Championship. Her father, Hiroshi Shintani, played professional baseball in Japan.

First Tee has new discount card

First Tee of Hawaii is again selling a discount golf card. Funds raised support the organization, which teaches golf along with “core values, essential life skills and healthy habits.”

The previous card — Ambassador — is now called The Players Golf Card. It went on sale Tuesday and offers discounts at golf courses and also for rental cars, restaurants, merchandise and other things.

The cost is $95 before the end of the year and $100 after.

Courses already committed to the players program are Bay View, Coral Creek, Hawaii Country Club, Hoakalei, Kahili, Ko’olau, Makaha Valley, Makalei, Maui Nui, Ocean Course at Hokuala, Poipu Bay, Puakea and Royal Kunia.

Other courses, including some in Las Vegas, are pending. Cards can be printed with a company logo or name.

For more information, contact First Tee Executive Director Kellan Anderson at 202-6456 or Info@ThePlayersGolfCard.com.