Hawaii golfers out to break through at Pearl

With a purse of more than $80,000, the Hawaii Pearl Open is the richest local golf tournament all year. Too bad so much of the money keeps leaving the islands.

Hawaii golfers won 13 of the first 17 titles at Pearl Country Club, with PCC director of golf David Ishii victorious six times. Going into this week’s event, Hawaii golfers have won just four of the past 16, and it took two Hall of Famers and Tadd Fujikawa to do that.

Kevin Hayashi won in 2000 and Greg Meyer, inducted into the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame with Hayashi last year, won in 2003 and ’04. Fujikawa was the last champion to call Hawaii home, launching his approach shot to within a foot on the final hole to beat Meyer five years ago.

Fujikawa was a 16-year-old amateur at the time, coming off a stunning 20th-place finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He is 21 now and just collected $69,000 for finishing 19th at the Sony. This week he is in Georgia, preparing for an eGolf Professional Tour event in South Carolina next week.

Meyer, 50 and exempt in Japan on the senior tour but not the regular tour, went to Florida to try and qualify for the Champions Tour stop this week.

Hayashi will be at Pearl, along with Ishii and former champions Kiyoshi Murota, Akinori Tani, Jesse Mueller, and Lance Suzuki.

John Ellis will defend his title. The 32-year-old from San Jose, Calif., won by two over Tani and Nick Mason last year, after rain washed out the opening round.

Parker McLachlin, Dave Eichelberger and Mason, the Leilehua and University of Hawaii-Hilo alum who was second the past two years, are among the golfers trying to bring the title — and $12,000 first prize —back to Hawaii.

The tournament’s Pro-Am is today, with proceeds going to "Rainbow for Japan Kids," which helps students who suffered through last year’s earthquake and tsunami. The first round is Friday and the field will be cut to the top 72 and ties, and 15 top amateurs, after the second round.

Matt Ma will defend his low amateur title against a group that includes Brandan Kop, Seungjae Maeng, John Oda and former amateur champs Masamichi Ito and Ryutaro Kato from Japan.

Four women will be playing — pro Mari Chun and amateurs Eimi Koga, Brittany Fan and Allisen Corpuz.

First Tee programs offered

First Tee programs are now available at five sites on Oahu, along with Ironwood on Molokai, and Waimea Country Club and Swing Zone-Kona on Hawaii island.

The First Tee of Hawaii is open to any child and provides low-cost programs that "instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf." Information on The First Tee of Hawaii is available at thefirstteehawaii.org.

On Oahu, kids can participate in programs at Makaha Valley Country Club (noon Sundays), Hickam AFB Par 3 (2 p.m. Sundays and Wednesdays), Hawaii Country Club on Kunia Road (3 p.m. Sundays), Bay View (Sundays at 11 a.m. for military children and noon for all children) and Camp Homelani, the Salvation Army Camp (3 p.m. Saturdays).

For information on Oahu programs, contact Ken Zitz at 478-3466 or kwz711@hawaii.rr.com, or Tommy Hines (741-4653) for Hawaii Country Club or Makaha. Darrell Rego (808-336-0847) runs the program on Molokai. David Hardison (808-430-2528) is in charge of the programs at Swing Zone and Waimea.

NOTES

» Princeville Prince will reopen March 1 after "significant interior and exterior updates" by Heritage Links and course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr., a Hanalei resident. Tee-time reservations are being accepted by phone (808-826-5000) or online (princeville.com).