Chip Shots: Sony skills challenge gets new sponsor

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Sony skills challenge gets new sponsor

Acura Hawaii is the new sponsor of the annual Sony Open in Hawaii Pro-Junior Skills Challenge, which runs the Tuesday before the PGA Tour’s first full-field event of the year. The 2013 Sony Open is Jan. 10-13 at Waialae Country Club.

The Pro-Junior on Jan. 8 will match five of Hawaii’s best junior golfers with five tour pros. The contest is free to spectators. It generates some $20,000 for the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association through sponsorship and pros’ donations.

Punahou junior Zachary Takano Braunthal won this year’s challenge with partner Zach Johnson, the 2009 Sony Open champion. Johnson sank a 24-foot putt to beat Jerry Kelly and Seabury Hall’s Alex Chiarella on the final stroke.

Sony tickets are for sale online. Tournament tickets and VIP Champions Club hospitality packages can be purchased at friendsofhawaii.org. Next month, First Hawaiian Bank branches on Oahu will sell tickets.

Admission is free Monday and Tuesday of tournament week, for the Sony Dream Cup Pro-Am and Acura Hawaii Pro-Junior. From Wednesday’s Pro-Am through Sunday’s final round, tickets are $15 daily in advance and $20 daily at the gate.

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Season Badges are $50 and good for admission throughout the week.The Champions Club Daily Pass ($150) includes admission for the selected day to the VIP Champions Club hospitality venue with complimentary buffet food and beverage service.The Champions Club Badge ($600) includes daily admission Thursday-Sunday to the VIP Champions Club and food and beverage.

Children 12-younger are admitted free when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult. Active and retired military are free with an official military ID. Veterans will be provided free admission tickets through Veteran Tickets Foundation (vettix.org).

Johnson Wagner is the defending champion. For more information, call Sony Open headquarters (523-7888), visit friendsofhawaii.org, or e-mail friend@friendsofhawaii.org.

NOTES

» Volunteers are still needed for the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, which opens the PGA Tour season Jan. 4-7 at Kapalua’s Plantation Course. To sign up, visit events.trustevent.com/index.cfm?eid=1101.

» The Hawaii State Women’s Golf Foundation, with a $6,000 grant from Friends of Hawaii Charities, awarded seven travel stipends for USGA qualifiers this year. Awardees were: Keiki-Dawn Izumi (Senior Women), Kristina Merkle (Women’s Public Links and Women’s Amateur), Zoey Akagi-Bustin (Women’s Public Links), Allisen Corpuz (Women’s Public Links and Junior Girls), Rose Huang (Women’s Public Links), Hansol Koo (Women’s Public Links) and Ciera Min (Junior Girls).

» Golfers who play Ka‘anapali, Puakea, Turtle Bay or Hapuna this Wednesday will have $10 of their greens fee donated to Junior Diabetes Research Foundation Hawaii. The "All Fore 1" promotion takes place all over the country on World Diabetes Day. Golfers need to mention the fundraiser when making a tee time and download and complete the donation form at bit.ly/JDRFGolfHI.