This week’s 54th annual Mid-Pacific Open offers an intriguing look at how Hawaii golf has morphed into its present form.

The field for the $53,000 event, which tees off this morning at Mid-Pacific Country Club, includes two PGA Tour champions (Dean Wilson and Parker McLachlin) and two LPGA rookies (Stephanie Kono and Ayaka Kaneko). All grew up here.

Wilson and McLachlin are golfing with ‘Iolani senior Lorens Chan and University of Hawaii professor Mike Kawate at 12:15 p.m. today. Chan, who will play for UCLA in the fall, will try to become the first boy to win three state high school championships next month. Kalani Kia‘aina, who a decade ago won two state titles for ‘Iolani, is three groups ahead of him.

Kono and Kaneko, eager to tweak their games and test new irons for next week’s LPGA Lotte Championship at Ko Olina, also have interesting pairings.

Kono, 21, plays with "old" friend Kimberly Kim, 20, and two of Hawaii’s hottest juniors — Moanalua sophomore John Oda and Punahou junior Kalena Preus.

Kono and Anna Jang, an MPCC member, were the first females to play the tournament, teeing up in the 50th anniversary event. Michelle Wie had tried to enter earlier, but was rejected by the club’s board. It changed its mind in 2008, agreeing to let the two Punahou students in as long as they played in the professional flight (from the back tees) and did not accept prize money.

Kono tied for 27th among the pros — 26 shots behind 17-year-old Tadd Fujikawa, who beat Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer David Ishii by seven shots for his first professional victory. Ishii, who helps coach Kono, was the one who brought up giving the men’s event a try.

"For the experience," Kono recalled. "He introduced me to the idea and I wanted to play. Every tournament you play is a good experience. Having to play against the men was fun and I learned a lot. And, Mid-Pac is probably one of my favorite courses on the island."

Kim is back home to try and regain the 2006 magic that took her to a USGA championship and into the weekend at the U.S. Women’s Open. She qualified for the LPGA tour last year, but lost her card. Now she is hoping to make the cut at Mid-Pac and miss Sunday’s final round while she tries to qualify for the LPGA’s Lotte Championship.

Kaneko is playing with Campbell senior Rudy Cabalar Jr., the 2010 state high school champion, Kamehameha sophomore Donny Hopoi and Kalaheo senior Monique Ishikawa, a Mid-Pac member.

In the group ahead is defending champion Nathan Lashley and Hilo’s Kevin Hayashi, who is also in the Hall of Fame. Ishii is in the group behind Kaneko, with Kevin Carll, Jonathan Ota and John Ellis, who won the Hawaii Pearl Open last year and came in second to Lashley at Lanikai.

Lashley, who grew up in Nebraska, and Ellis, from San Jose, Calif., play the mini tours with Hawaii’s Nick Mason, who won his fourth Hilo Invitational in February and is looking for his first title at Mid-Pac.

The field also includes eight-time champion Lance Suzuki and Regan Lee, the only golfer to win three consecutive Mid-Pac Opens. Suzuki is one of seven Hall of Famers in the tournament, along with Ishii, Hayashi, Larry Stubblefield, Chuck Davis and amateurs Brandan Kop and his uncle, Wendell. Guinea Kop, Wendell’s father, won the inaugural Mid-Pacific Open in 1956.

Half the field will be cut after Friday’s second round. The final four holes will be shown live Sunday on Hawaii TV Golf, from noon to 3 p.m. The show’s debut is on KWHE TV-14 (Oceanic Ch. 11 on Oahu and Hawaii, and Ch. 3 on Maui).